Hungarian Chicken Skillet
Serve this comforting stew with egg noodles and a cabbage salad.

4 chicken legs
4 slices bacon, diced
2 stalks, celery, diced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Cut chicken legs into thighs and drumsticks. In large skillet cook bacon over medium-high heat 2-4 minutes or until crisp; remove and set aside. Add chicken to skillet and brown. Remove and add to plate with bacon.

Drain off all but 1 tsp fat. Cook celery, carrots, onion and green pepper 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in paprika and tomato paste; stir in stock and bring to boil.

Return chicken and bacon to pan, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until juices run clear. Remove chicken to warm platter and cover to keep warm.

Skim off any fat from pan drippings. Whisk sour cream with flour until smooth; whisk into pan juices and cook over low heat, stirring 2 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over chicken, sprinkle with parsley.

This is a recipe from Marlen, a dear lady who will always be missed, especially around the 4th of July, her favorite holiday. I've served this for company and everyone always loves it. You won't believe how wonderful your house smells while this is cooking!

CUBAN POT ROAST (Crock pot)

Chuck roast (3-4 lb.)
4 (or more) Spanish chorizo sausage links - El Ebro or Goya El Mino brand*
2 large can tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. oregano (dried)
1/2 Tbsp. basil (dried)
1/4 c. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, mashed
4 red potatoes, quartered
1/4 c. green olives

Cut a slit in the meat and insert chorizo. (I buy a boneless roast and fold it in half and stick the sausages inside.) Place all ingredients in a crock pot, potatoes and olives on top. Add a little water, salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Serve over yellow or white rice.
*Do not use Mexican chorizo. You could use ham chunks or not stuff at all.

Please disregard the above recipe. Wrong amount for the tomato sauce. Here's how the recipe should read:

This is a recipe from Marlen, a dear lady who will always be missed, especially around the 4th of July, her favorite holiday. I've served this for company and everyone always loves it. You won't believe how wonderful your house smells while this is cooking!

CUBAN POT ROAST (Crock pot)

Chuck roast (3-4 lb.)
4 (or more) Spanish chorizo sausage links - El Ebro or Goya El Mino brand*
1 large can tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. oregano (dried)
1/2 Tbsp. basil (dried)
1/4 c. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, mashed
4 red potatoes, quartered
1/4 c. green olives

Cut a slit in the meat and insert chorizo. (I buy a boneless roast and fold it in half and stick the sausages inside.) Place all ingredients in a crock pot, potatoes and olives on top. Add a little water, salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Serve over yellow or white rice.
*Do not use Mexican chorizo. You could use ham chunks or not stuff at all.

West Africa peanut soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, very finely diced
2 large bell peppers, (any color) finely chopped
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can chopped tomatoes with juice
8 cups vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 (18 ounce) jar creamy peanut butter
chopped roasted peanuts (optional)

Directions
Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Cook onion, bell pepper, and garlic until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, vegetable broth, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Add rice to soup and stir. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 25 minutes, or until rice is tender.
When rice is cooked, whisk in peanut butter and return to a simmer, and serve. Garnish with chopped roasted peanuts, if desired.

Swedish Meatballs

1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. gr. nutmeg (I leave this out)
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine all of these well, then add:
1 # ground beesf
1/2 # ground pork
Mix well and form into 1 1/2" balls. In a large skillet, cook meatballs in 1/4 cup cubed butter until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

In a bowl, combine until well blended.
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup beef broth
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dill weed.
Stir into the skillet and bring to a boil; cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened. Serve over the meatballs.

( I made these a couple of days ago, using 1/2 and 1/2 and they were still very good.)