essentially, this is a pizza rolled up to resemble a bread loaf. i thought it tasted good, even better when dipped in a little tomato sauce. as for the recipe, i followed it with the following exceptions: i don't have a clue where to find a pound of frozen bread dough -- never seen that at the grocery. so, instead, i used refrigerated pillsbury pizza dough. and, as opposed to cooking for 40 minutes, i turned up the heat to 400 and cooked for 30 minutes. with these variations, it still turned out fine.

pepperoni bread
allrecipes

1 (1 pound) loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
1 egg, beaten
4 ounces sliced pepperoni sausage
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Roll bread dough out into a rectangle. Brush dough with beaten egg. Arrange pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese over the dough. Sprinkle on the Italian seasoning. Roll up dough like a jelly roll and pinch seam to seal; place, seam side down, on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until golden.

this was a little messy for me. i used small (the smallest) corn tortillas, as opposed to larger flour ones -- thus, they didn't hold much of the filling. after breaking two, when trying to fold them, i realized i should heat them in the oven for about 3 minutes to soften them. that helped tremendously.

instead of using chiles, i added chopped onions, chopped black olives and seasonings to the sour cream mixture. i also added beef to some instead of the chicken, but those did not taste as good. i'd recommend sticking with the chicken. and, in order to get the tortillas crunchy, it took a good 10 minutes of additional time in the oven.

sour ceam chicken enchiladas
pillsbury kid's bake-off

1 can (10-3/4 ounce) condensed cream of chicken soup
8 ounces sour cream
1 can (4.5 ounce) old el paso chopped green chiles
12 count old el paso flour tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
3-1/3 cups chicken, cooked and chopped

Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish with non stick cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine soup, sour cream and green chiles; mix well. Spoon 2 tablespoons sour cream mixture down center of each tortilla. Reserve 1/2 cup cheese. Top each tortilla with about 1/4 cup chicken and scant 1/4 cup cheese. Fold sides over filling; place seam side down in sprayed dish. Spoon remaining sour cream mixture over filled tortillas. Cover with foil.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove foil; sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup cheese. Return to oven; bake uncovered an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Yield: 6 servings

one of my best friends back home introduced this to me. it's nothing unusual or unique, just a taco salad -- but it is so good and easy to make! there's no rhyme or reason to it either -- layer it in the order you like, add the toppings you like, etc.

you could even trade it in for a taco -- just buy some taco shells or tortillas... same idea. be creative.

taco salad

1 pound ground chuck
1 package grated cheese, mexican blend
1 package taco seasoning
corn chips
1 package european blend lettuce (can use any kind of lettuce)
1 small onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 can sliced black olives
salsa
guacamole
sour cream

Brown beef on stove top. Follow directions on package for Taco Seasoning and add to beef. You may add onions to beef, and cook until transparent. Crush chips on plate. Add a layer of lettuce, beef, cheese, tomatoes, salsa, onion (raw, optional), olives, guacamole and sour cream.

this is one of my favorite meals to eat at shoney's. this version did lack some flavor though, a pop/blast of flavor. otherwise, it was fine... but next time i'll try to add some ginger or other strong flavors to spice it up.

i cut 4 raw chicken breast halves into large bite-size pieces, and i marinated them in teriyake sauce for about 30 minutes. i also used a bag of frozen vegetables that included onions, peppers, mushrooms, green beans and broccoli. then, i julienned about 4 carrots. in addition to using the teriyake in the pan, i mixed up soy sauce and honey, about equal parts (mainly to taste), to pour over the top at the end.

shoney's chicken stir fry
recipe gold mine

6 ounces chicken, cut in pieces
1-1/2 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1-1/2 ounces onions, thin wedges
1 ounce broccoli florets
1 ounce carrots, shredded
1 ounce green peppers, thin wedges

Grill the chicken in 2 ounces teriyaki sauce until done then add the veggies with 1 ounce of teriyaki sauce. Stir fry a couple of minutes. Remove to a plate.

The rice is a plain white rice with chicken base added to it.

these were really good. (which i think has a lot to do because it was something very new and different.) either way, i recommend trying this at home. i didn't measure anything, and i added a few other items. i left out the chilies. i did use the cheese, but mexican 4-cheese blend instead. used scallions, diced onions, black olives and grilled chicken torn into bite size pieces. after heating them in a hot skillet, i placed them in a 250ºF oven to keep warm. cut them into quarters and served with sides of sour cream, guacamole and a beefy-salsa type sauce.

next time, i think i'd like to try spinach and cheeses, with other veggies. anything's possible.

quesadillas

4 flour tortillas, 8 inch diameter
2 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 pickled jalapeno chilies, thinly sliced

Sprinkle cheese over two tortillas. Spoon chili and scallions over the cheese, then place a second tortilla over each and press down. Heat a heavy saut» pan over a medium flame and place one quesadilla in it. Press down with a spatula and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until speckled brown and the cheese melts. Flip over and cook other side. Place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with second set of tortillas. Cut into quarters. Serve with guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

this was recommended by a friend. alton brown always has great ideas, and this is definitely one of them. the chicken comes out so incredibly tender and juicy -- you don't even really need a knife to cut. the garlic seems overwhelming, but it totally isn't. i've learned that the longer you cook garlic, the sweeter it gets. true. and, the leftover olive oil and garlic makes a fantastic dip or spread for some french bread on the side.

changes made include, just using 4 chicken breast halves instead of a whole chicken. didn't use the thyme because i didn't have any handy. and next time to cut down on time, skip over the browning in the pan portion. just throw everything into a oven-safe casserole dish and bake for the hour and a half. the pan portion is really a waste (and another dish to wash). plus, i highly (highly, highly) suggest you invest in a garlic peeler. peeling 40 cloves isn't any fun. especially if you want to make this dish again, and i bet you will, buy a peeler. it's on my list.

40 cloves and a chicken
alton brown

1 whole chicken (broiler/fryer) cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 sprigs fresh thyme
40 peeled cloves garlic
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Toss with a 2 tablespoons olive oil and brown on both sides in a wide fry pan or skillet over high heat. Remove from heat, add oil, thyme, and garlic cloves. Cover and bake for 1-1/2 hours.

Remove chicken from the oven, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, carve, and serve.