Sesame Shrimp Rice Salad

2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 pound cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups cooked and cooled Basmati rice
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium sweet red pepper, diced (I leave this out ‘cause I hate ‘em)
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp ground ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds

Mix first six ingredients and sesame seeds together in medium mixing bowl and chill until cold. Blend next six ingredients in blender or small food processor and chill. Toss salad mixture with dressing and serve very cold.

--Lori

Potato and Cheese Fritata

This is a good breakfast food for filling bottomless pits when your on a budget. Derek and I have it with an orange or grapes on the side.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large russet potatoes peeled and shredded
1 medium onion, dicedsalt and pepper (to taste)
1/2 shredded cheddar cheese (we use 1 cup of fiesta mix cheese instead)
4 eggs beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees heat oil in 12 inch skillet over medium high heat when it's hot, add potatoes and fry until they are crispy and golden (about 15 minutes) reduce heat a little and add onions. Cook, stirring until onions are softened. Season with salt and pepper, and pour eggs over the top. place skillet in the oven for about 10 minutes (or eggs are firm). Remove from oven, sprinkle cheese on, and return to oven until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes)

--Teresa

Fried Chicken

2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
4 skinless boneless breast halves, pound thin
oil for frying as needed (usually about 1 cup)

mix garlic, pepper, salt, paprika, bread and flour in a cake pan or shallow dish. In another dish, wisk milk and egg

heat oil in electric skillet set to 350 degrees. Dip chicken in milk mix and dredge through dry ingredients until evenly coated

Fry chicken in oil for 5 minutes per side, or until it's cooked through and juices are clear. use slotted spatula to remove and thats it.

--Teresa

Homemade Samoas (a.k.a. Caramel de-Lites)

Cookies
1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla. The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.Roll the dough (working in two or three batches) out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and use a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat with remaining dough. Alternatively, use scant tablespoons of dough and press into an even layer in a mini donut pan to form the rounds.Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. If using a mini donut pan, bake for only about 10 minutes, until edges are light gold.Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with.While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

--Kristi