Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad Recipe

Salad
1 head romaine, torn/cut
2 cups chicken breast chopped and cooked
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
1 cup napa/green cabbage chopped
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 cup chow mein noodles toasted

Dressing
4-5 tab honey
3 tab rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp sesame oil 

- Adrian Parkinson

Stuffed Green Peppers

1 1/2 cups tomato juice
1/2 cup uncooked rice
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/2 pound extra lean ground beef, uncooked
1/2 cup grated cheese (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 green peppers

Place tomato juice, rice, and onion in a pan over low heat. Cover and simmer until juice is absorbed 9about 20 minutes). Combine rice mixture with ground beef, cheese, salt, and pepper and fill green peppers (slice off tops and seed). Place in casserole or pan with lid and bake at 300° F. for one hour.

- Adrian Parkinson

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded
12 corn tortillas
2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 small bag usually is 2 cups)
1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)
1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream
nonstick cooking spray
1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro, to garnish 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.

Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or a oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use.

Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish.

Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada - it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each. 

Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. You will use about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour this mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serve with sour cream, black beans, and rice or a green salad for a great meal. Serves 4 to 6.

- Susan Baker

Rice Chex Chew

In a large bowl mix:

1 large box Rice Chex

1 c. coconut

8 oz. sliced almonds

In Saucepan mix:

1/2 c. butter

2 c. sugar

2 c. white karo syrup

Boil two minutes then pour over chex mix.

- Adrian Parkinson

Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust

2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted 

Filling

4 pkgs. 8 oz. each cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 

Heat your oven to 300 degrees. Grease a 9 inch springform pan with shortening or cooking spray. Wrap foil around the pan to catch drips. In a small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and butter. Press crumb mixture in bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or till set. Cool 5 minutes. 

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with mixer on medium speed just till smooth and creamy, do not overbeat. On low speed, gradually beat in sugar. On low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, just till blended. Spoon 3 cups of cream cheese mixture into pan over crust. Spread evenly. 

Stir pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg into remaining cream cheese mixture; mix with wire whisk until smooth.Spoon over top of mixture in pan. 

Bake 1 hour and 25 minutes to 1 and a half hours or till edges are set but the center jiggles slightly when moved. 

Turn off oven; open door at least 4 inches. Leave cheesecake in oven for 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven; place on wire rack to cool. Without releasing side of pan, run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen the cheesecake. Cool in pan on wire rack 30 minutes. Cover loosely, refrigerate at least 6 hours but no longer than 24 hours. 

Run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake again, carefully remove side of pan. Place cheesecake on a serving platter. Store cheesecake covered in fridge. Serves 16.

- Adrian Parkinson

Strawberry Cream Cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
1 pound strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-ounce envelope)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan, and line with parchment paper. Butter and flour paper and sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture in 3 parts and milk in 2, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes; invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Using a serrated knife, split cake in half horizontally; place bottom half, cut side up, on a serving plate.

Make topping: In a large bowl, combine strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar; set aside. Place 2 tablespoons cold water in a small saucepan, and sprinkle with gelatin; let soften 5 minutes. Place saucepan over very low heat, and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl until very soft peaks form. Continue to beat, and gradually add gelatin mixture; beat until soft peaks form.

Arrange half of strawberries over bottom cake layer; top with half of whipped cream, leaving a 1-inch border. Cover with top half of cake, cut side down. Top cake with remaining whipped cream, leaving a 1-inch border. Refrigerate cake and remaining strawberries separately, at least 1 hour (or up to 1 day). Just before serving, spoon strawberries over cake.

-Adrian Parkinson

Mimi's Cafe Carrot Bread/Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup crushed pineapple,drained
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup finely shredded carrot

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 9 inch square pan or four 3 inch by 6 inch mini loaf pans. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix well.
 

In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, brown sugar and eggs, pour into flour mixture and stir well (batter will be chunky). Stir in walnuts, pineapple, raisins and carrots. Pour into prepared pans and bake 30-40 minutes (20 minutes for muffin pans) or until lightly browned.

- Adrian Parkinson