JAMBALAYA

This recipe is easier than it looks and VERY yummy, particularly if you want to add some extra spices. It does involve a lot of prep time, particularly chopping. If you're taking this somewhere, you can save time by making most of it the night before and adding the rice the next day.

4 C water
1 C uncooked rice
1 t oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 t salt
1 t black pepper
1 can (14 oz.) whole tomatoes, drained & chopped
1 T canned tomato paste
1 C water
1 lb meat, cut into 1/2 inch squares (I like to use shrimp and Andouille sausage; see if you can find crawfish tails or alligator!)
Hot sauce to taste

Steam rice in 4 C water and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat oil on medium; add onions & garlic, saute 5 mins. until tender. Add tomatoes, tomato paste & 1 C water. Let simmer on low, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes.
Add meat, salt, & pepper. Cook 15 mins more.
Add cooked rice. Stir well. Cook another 5 mins on medium, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.

OL' TIME BILLY SLATER'S DAREDEVIL CHILI

Remember "Junior Rodeo Daredevils" from MST3K? "It all begins with a tin can..." This is Dave Hunter's late father's chili recipe and is very yummy. The beans don't overpower the flavor of the tomatoes. He doesn't specify what kind of beer. Peeps?

4 cans tomato paste
4 to 4-1/4 lbs. ground beef
3/4 cups Crisco
2 large onions
2 large cans stewed tomatoes
2 to 3 cans dark red kidney beans, drained
1 to 2 small cans tomato sauce
3 to 4 cans beer
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic powder
3 to 4 Tablespoons chili powder
8 to 10 dashes Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon cinammon

Heat oil in skillet; dice and sautee onions until brown. Dice and brown ground beef; cut and brown the Crisco. Add 1 Tablespoon of the chili powder to the beef; add garlic powder, salt, pepper; brown and stir thoroughly.

Add above to a large pot (dutch oven); add tomatoes, breaking them up; add tomato paste, kidney beans, 2 to 3 cans of beer, Tabasco, sugar, honey, cinammon and tomato sauce.Stir thoroughly and heat to boiling, adding chili powder, beer and tomato sauce as needed. (Chili thickens as it sets, so make a little more liquid than needed.)

Simmer gently for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. (Chili is best when set for 24 hours in fridge. Any beer left over: drink.) (Best served with oyster crackers.)

Serves one wild crowd - YAY!

CHICKEN FAJITAS WITH PEPPERS AND ONIONS

I think I found this recipe on a soy-sauce label. It certainly uses enough of it, so have plenty of cerveza handy!

1/3 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. lime juice
4 chicken breast halves
Peppers and Onions
Tortillas

Mix soy sauce with lime juice, pour over chicken in plastic bag. Press air out of bag, marinate for one hour. Cook the chicken on the grill 15-18 minutes or until tender. Prepare Peppers and Onions and eat in tortillas. For Peppers and Onions, slice one large red bell pepper, one large green pepper, and one onion; saute in 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil for 4 minutes, and stir in 1 Tbsp. soy sauce.

POLYNESIAN STIR-FRY BURRITOS

A recipe from "Cooking with the Dead." At Grateful Dead shows, people would set up cooking stations in the parking lot in front of their cars. You could buy everything from grilled cheese sandwiches to hot dogs to "kind veggie burritos" like this.

FILLING:
1/2 cup water chestnuts
1 cup of 2 types of pea pods
1 carrot, sliced
2 onions, sliced
1 parsnip, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
A few tbs. or more to taste of pine nuts and/or peanuts
Fresh cilantro, minced, to taste

POLYNESIAN SAUCE:
1/4 c. soy sauce
Water
1 tsp. brown sugar
Assorted spices - Try basil, oregano, or whatever you like to use
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
Fresh-picked ginger, a few slices
4-6 tortillas
Peanut oil

Begin by stir-frying the veggies in peanut oil for about a minute. In a separate bowl, mix, then toss in the Polynesian sauce. Stir and add the pine nuts or peanuts as soon as the veggies are done.

GOOD AND EASY ISLAND BAKED FISH

Awww, Mom, you know I don't like butter!

l to 1 1/2 pound fish fillets (Any white fish will do)
1/4 cup Sweet Cream Butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 to 2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

Rinse fish fillets and drain on paper towel. Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and saute 2 minutes. Add bouillon cubes and stir until cubes can be crushed. Remove from heat; add lemonjuice and stir.

Arrange fillets in a single layer in a shallow baking dish. Pour onion mixure over fillets. Cover tighty with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.Remove cover and continue baking for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easilywith a fork. Serve by spooning leftover liquid (butter and lemon juice) over fish.

KRABBY PATTIES

Straight from the Krusty Krab, this is SpongeBob's secret recipe. Don't tell Plankton! It's perfect after a long day of Jellyfishing with Patrick or doing karate with Sandy. Also contributed by Dave H.

Tartar sauce
3 cups cooked, canned crab meat (about 1-lb.)
1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons minced parsley
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
3 Tablespoons butter or margarine
Lemon wedges

In large bowl with fork, break crabmeat into fine shreds. Mix in remaining ingredients except butter or margarine and lemon wedges. Divide mixture into 8 portions. In 10-inch skillet over medium heat, into hot butter or margarine, spoon 4 portions into patties.

Fry patties until a golden color on undersides; turn and brown other sides. Keep patties warm and repeat with other 4 portions. Serve with Tartar Sauce and lemon wedges.

NEXT DOOR TO DOUGLAS TACO SALAD

No, not Douglas, Douglas Massachusetts! Thanks to Sue for this recipe.

Brown 1 pound of hamburger or chicken. Drain the grease---add taco mix to it with a little bit of water. I also add some salsa to it while it is cooking!
I let that cool (even overnight if you want!). Cut up at least a 1/2 head of lettuce into bite size pieces--add meat mix--an 8 ounce bottle of Catalina dressing and some more salsa and stir in some shredded taco cheese. Just before serving---add crushed Tostitos. Stir and serve! You can put black olives in too --- but my family doesnt like them!! [That's OK, Sue, I don't like cheese!] If you want to make it lower in fat----use diet hamburger or lean chicken----low cal Catalina --- baked tostitos----and skim cheese????? ewwwwwwwwwwwww [I agree!]

SPICY GRILLED TUNA, CUBAN STYLE
c.1997, M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger, all rights reserved

I'm not sure what makes this Cuban style, but it sounds yummy. I bet Douglas would like it, too!

1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 large cloves garlic, minced
3 large shallots, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only, finely chopped
6 (6 ounce) pieces of tuna fillet
Vegetable oil, for greasing the grill
Lemon wedges, for garnish

In a small mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, garlic, shallots, cumin, and about 3/4 of the cilantro (reserve the remaining cilantro for garnish).

Place the tuna fillet in a large glass or ceramic dish. Rub your fingers over the fish to check for and remove any remaining bones, and pour the marinade over the tuna. Make sure the fish are evenly coated on both sides and marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator, turning once.

Brush a grill or broiler pan with vegetable oil and heat it to high heat.Grill the fillets for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until done to your liking. Garnish with the remaining cilantro and the lemon wedges.

COMPAY SEGUNDO'S BLACK COCOQUETTA SOUP

As told in the book of the movie Buena Vista Social Club. Hey, he ate this and lived to be 95.

"When I drink too much, you know what I eat? Black cocoquetta soup. Consomme, chicken consomme. You take a piece of chicken neck, then you fry it up. Just when it's no longer bloody,you toss in chopped garlic. Anyone who eats that will have no aches or pains. I hate hangovers. That's how I stay fit."

GRILLED STRIPED BASS

Bella's favorite!

1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T. sugar
1 T. finely minced garlic
1 T. finely minced green onions
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. seame seeds
2 lbs. striped bass fillets, skin on

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, garlic, onion and oil; set aside. In a small skillet, lightly brown sesame seeds over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add to soy sauce mixture. Arrange fillets, skin side down, in a shallow baking dish. Pour soy sauce mixture over fish, cover and marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning once. Remove from marinade and arrange fish on a well-oiled grill, skin side down, about 4-6 inches from hot coals. Discard marinade. Grill fish for 4-5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Do not turn fish over or the fillets will fall apart. Serves 6.

HABANERO LACED BAHAMIAN CRACKED CONCH CEVICHE
Recipe courtesy Executive Chef Michelle Bernstein. I found canned conch meat in, of all places, an Italian grocery store.

8 ounces fresh conch (preferably Bahamian)
2 lemons, juiced
2 limes, juiced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 red onion, minced
1 red pepper, seeded and minced
1 yellow pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 habanero, seeded and minced
1 bunch cilantro, leaves chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cut the conch in small thin strips. If desired, boil for 1 minute in seasoned water then chill in ice water. Add 1/2 of the lemon and lime juice and all of the garlic and ginger. Let stand for 30 minutes. Add all the vegetables,remaining juices and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with store-bought plantain chips or make them yourself.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 45 minutes

CHIPPEWA TROUT

From the First Nations Recipe Index. Try an Indian recipe for Thanksgiving this year!

6 sm Dressed trout
6 Bacon
Marinade:
1/2 c Sherry
1/2 c Melted butter
2 tb Lemon juice

Salt the inside of the fish. Mix the sherry, melted butter and lemon juice. Place the dressed fish in a wide pan and cover with the marinade. Let stand for 1 hour. Wrap bacon around the fish and hold in place with skewers. Cook over a hot fire basting frequently. Cook until the bacon is crisp, turning only once. Serves 6.