Dinah Shore’s Zucchini Stuffed Chicken

Dinah Shore’s Zucchini Stuffed Chicken

8 to 10 chicken pieces (with skin on)
2 zucchini, washed and shredded
4 cups bread, shredded
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons chicken seasonings (pepper,
salt, garlic powder, onion powder)*
1 large onion
1 to 2 cup water

* 2 tablespoons combined spices.

Wash and clean chicken.

Mix all stuffing ingredients except water. Add water, a little at a time, until mixture is soft but of a fairly firm consistency. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of mixture under the skin of each chicken piece and place on baking tray. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 to 50 minutes. Drain off fat and serve.

Patti La Belle’s Over-the-rainbow Macaroni And Cheese

Patti La Belle’s Over-the-rainbow Macaroni And Cheese

Source: ABC News.com – Good Morning America Recipes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni
8 tablespoons (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup (2 ounce) shredded Muenster cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounce) shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounce) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounce) shredded Monterey jack cheese
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup (8 ounces) Velveeta, cut into small cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2-quart casserole.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the oil, then the elbow macaroni. Cook until the macaroni is just tender, about 7 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain well. Return to the cooking pot.

In a small saucepan, melt 8 tablespoons of the butter. Stir into the macaroni.

In a large bowl, mix the Muenster, mild and sharp Cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses. To the macaroni, add the half-and-half, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, the cubed Velveeta and the eggs. Season with the salt and pepper. Transfer to the buttered casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese and dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Bake until it’s bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes.

Serve hot.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Lady Bird Johnson’s Lace Cookies

Lady Bird Johnson’s Lace Cookies

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup coconut
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix flour with coconut. Combine syrup, sugar and margarine in saucepan. Cook over medium heat until well blended. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Blend in flour mixture. Drop by teaspoonful 3 to 4 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes.

Melanie Griffith’s Macadamia, Chocolate Chip And Peanut Butter Mini-turnovers

Melanie Griffith’s Macadamia, Chocolate Chip And Peanut Butter Mini-turnovers

2 cups smooth peanut butter (at room temperature)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup toasted and chopped macadamia nuts
2 sheets (one 17 1/4 ounce package) frozen puff pastry,
thawed according to the package directions
1 egg, lightly beaten
Confectioners’ sugar for garnish (optional)
Mint sprigs for garnish (optional)
Vanilla ice cream as an accompaniment

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. If the turnovers are frozen, preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

In a bowl, stir together the peanut butter, chocolate chips and macadamia nuts until well combined.

Work with one sheet of puff pastry at a time. Lightly flour a work surface. Lay one sheet of puff pastry on the surface and gently roll it out in all directions to thin it slightly. With a sharp knife, cut the sheet into quarters, then cut each quarter into quarters, making 16 pieces total.

Center one teaspoon of filling on each piece of pastry. Fold the pastry on the diagonal to form a triangle. Press the open edges of the pastry closed. (At this point the turnovers can be frozen. Arrange in layers, separated by sheets of wax paper, in a freezer container.) Brush the top of the turnover with the beaten egg and place on a baking sheet.

Make more mini-turnovers with the remaining ingredient in the same manner and brush with the beaten egg.

Bake for 15 minutes. Bake the pastries on the baking sheet for five minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and bake for 15 minutes.

Serve at once, dusted with confectioners’ sugar and garnished with a mint sprig, with the ice cream.

Makes 32 mini-turnovers.

A.j. Foyt’s 500-mile Chili

A.j. Foyt’s 500-mile Chili

3 pounds stewing beef, cubed
1 pound chorizo
2 large onions, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 jalape?o peppers, peeled and diced
3 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3 tablespoons chili powder
3 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 can Mexican beer

Brown meat, onions, garlic and jalape?os together in olive oil. While mixture is browning, add cayenne and chili powder. Stir often. Add tomato sauce, salt, water and beer. Cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring often. Uncover and simmer for 2 hours.

Serves 6 to 8.

Lady Bird Johnson’s Quick Peanut Candy

Lady Bird Johnson’s Quick Peanut Candy

1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 3/4 cups quick oats
1 cup chopped peanuts (can use roasted,
lightly salted peanuts)
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter

In a large skillet, combine margarine, sugar, cocoa and milk. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add oats, peanut butter and peanuts. Stir to blend well. Let cool and drop by teaspoons on wax paper.

Pat Nixon’s Meatloaf

Pat Nixon’s Meatloaf

Source: The White House Family Cookbook by Henry Haller, 1987

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 slices white bead
1 cup milk
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons bread crumbs

Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Melt butter in a saut? pan, add garlic and saut? until just golden – do not brown. Let cool.

Dice bread and soak it in milk.

In a large mixing bowl, mix ground beef by hand with saut?ed onions and garlic and bread pieces. Add eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, thyme and marjoram and mix by hand in a circular motion.

Turn this mixture into the prepared baking pan and pat into a loaf shape, leaving at least one inch of space around the edges to allow fat to run off. Brush the top with the tomato puree and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavors to penetrate and to firm up the loaf.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake meatloaf on lower shelf of oven for 1 hour, or until meat is cooked through. Pour off accumulated fat several times while baking and after meat is fully cooked. Let stand on wire rack for five minutes before slicing.

Makes 6 servings.

Dinah Shore’s Cheesecake Cookies

Dinah Shore’s Cheesecake Cookies

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup melted butter
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix brown sugar, nuts and flour together. Stir in butter and mix with hands until crumbly. Remove 1 cup. Press remainder in an 8-inch square pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes.

Beat cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Beat in lemon juice, cream and vanilla extract. Pour into baked crust. Top with reserved crumbs.

Return to 350 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Cool thoroughly. Cut into 2-inch squares.

Serves 6.

Betty Ford’s Chinese Pepper Steak

Betty Ford’s Chinese Pepper Steak

2 pounds flank steak
2 tablespoons shortening
3 green bell peppers, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 package onion soup mix
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup sherry
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Cut steak lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips and then into 1-inch pieces.

Melt shortening in skillet and fry steak just long enough for it to change color. Remove meat and saut? the green pepper. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add onion soup mix and continue to boil for 10 minutes.

Stir in the meat and green pepper and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch (diluted in a little water), salt and pepper. Cook until slightly thickened. Serve over steamed rice.

Serves 4.

President Ronald Reagan’s Corned Beef Hash In Bell Peppers

President Ronald Reagan’s Corned Beef Hash In Bell Peppers

3 medium potatoes, cooked
1 large onion, diced
3 medium tomatoes
1 can corned beef
4 bell peppers
4 eggs
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Brown onions and potatoes in oil. Add tomatoes, corned beef, salt, pepper andenough warm water to keep from burning. Simmer for 20 minutes. Cut off the tops of the bell peppers. Clean out seeds and remove center core. Parboil in salted water until tender limp. Drain. Fill peppers almost to the top with corned beef mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Five minutes before serving, drop raw egg in top of each pepper. Return to the oven until egg has set.