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Most kids grow up learning how to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches so they can help themselves in the kitchen when they want some lunch. The most popular dish is cheese tacos. Ingredients for making Cheese Tacos are; Corn tortillas (as many as tacos you want to make, packaged or homemade), Butter, Cheddar or jack cheese, Salsa (homemade or prepared)

Method:

1 Heat up the cast iron frying pan on medium high heat. While the pan is heating, prepare your ingredients. Cut some slices of cheese. Get the salsa out of the fridge. Thinly slice as many slices of apple as you want tacos. (3 tacos, 3 apple slices). Cut, remove seed, slice, and remove from skin the avocado slices you want. Slice some lettuce and any leftover meat you want to add in.

2 When the pan is hot (sprinkle a few drops of water on it, they should sizzle) lightly butter one side of one tortilla and place it in the pan, butter side down. Using a spatula, quickly flip the tortilla over to the other side, and back again, repeating until there is melted butter on both sides of the tortilla. Let the tortilla sit in hot pan until pockets of air start to form bubbles in the tortilla.

3 Add slices of cheese to one side of the tortilla. Make sure to allow room for the cheese to melt and not spread all over the pan.

4 Flip the side of tortilla without the cheese over the side with the cheese, as if you were making an omelet. Move the folded cheese taco to one side of the pan. Add a second tortilla, lightly buttered on one side, and repeat the process. You can tell when the taco is done by pressing down on it with a spoon or fork or edge of the spatula. If it gives easily, the cheese is melted and you can remove the taco from the pan.

5 You are basically done with the cheese tacos. Now all you have left to do is assembly. Open up each taco and add the ingredients you want. A slice of avocado, a slice of apple, a piece of chicken, a little bit of lettuce. Don’t over do it or you won’t be able to hold the taco and get it in your mouth.

This is one of the best evening meals. You actually don’t need anything beyond some good quality jumbo shrimp and bacon; they were perfectly delicious paired on their own. Dressing them up a bit with some lime juice and chipotle seasoning adds some fun layers of flavor. Ingredients of making Wrapped Shrimp are ; 12 large, raw, peeled and deveined shrimp, 2 Tbsp olive oil, Zest from 1 lime, Juice from one lime (about 2 Tbsp), 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (or more to taste), 6 strips thin bacon, cut in half (12 pieces), Skewers (for grilling) or toothpicks (for oven).

Method:

1 Mix together in a small bowl the lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, and chipotle powder. Put the shrimp in the lime chipotle mixture; make sure each piece is well coated.

2 Spread the bacon pieces out over several layers of paper towels on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with another layer of paper towel. Microwave on high until the bacon fat begins to melt but the bacon is still pliable, about 1 1/2 minutes.

3 Prepare grill on high, direct heat (if grilling) or preheat the oven to 450°F.

4 Working one at a time wrap a half piece of micro waved bacon around each piece of shrimp. If you are grilling, thread the shrimp onto long, flat skewers (flat skewers make turning the shrimp on the grill easier). If you don’t have flat skewers, I’ve used two thin bamboo skewers (soaked in water for 30 minutes beforehand) to the same effect. If you are using the oven, secure each the bacon onto the shrimp with toothpicks. Place the bacon-wrapped shrimp on a slotted baking pan (lined with foil inside for easy cleaning). Brush remaining lime chipotle mixture on the outside of the bacon-wrapped shrimp.

5 Grill uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or bake in the oven for 10-14 minutes, until shrimp is pink and the bacon is crisp.

The broccoli florets are quickly stir-fried initially then steamed in a sauce of stock, sesame oil, and soy sauce. This quick cooking technique works best with the florets. Don’t discard the broccoli stalks, peel them and slice them thick and eat them raw like you would a carrot; the raw stalks are great with dips. Ingredients used in making Broccoli Stir Fry are; 1 Tbsp sesame seeds

1/2 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian option), 1 Tbsp soy sauce (use wheat-free soy sauce for gluten-free option), 1 Tbsp dark sesame oil, Peanut, canola, or grape seed oil, or some other high smoke-point cooking Oil, 1 pound broccoli florets, rinsed, patted dry, cut into bite-sized pieces,2 cloves of garlic, minced (about 1 Tbsp), 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger.

Method:

1 Toast the sesame seeds by first heating a small, stick-free sauté pan on medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and jiggle the pan so they spread out in a single layer. Let them cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 3-5 minutes. Do not walk away from them while cooking, as once they start to brown they can easily burn. Once lightly toasted remove from heat and put into a small bowl, set aside.

2 Mix the stock, soy sauce, and dark sesame oil together in a small bowl, set aside.

3 Heat 1 Tbsp of peanut (or canola or grape seed) oil in a large, covered sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the broccoli florets; stir to coat the florets with the oil, Sauté for about a minute. Clear a space in the middle of the broccoli and add the ginger and garlic. Add a little more oil to the ginger and garlic (about a teaspoon) and sauté for half a minute, stirring just the garlic and ginger, until fragrant. Then stir the garlic and ginger in with the broccoli.

4 Add the chicken (or vegetable) stock mixture to the pan. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and cover. Let cook for 2-3 minutes, until broccoli is still firm, but can be pierced with a fork. Remove from heat. Remove broccoli with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Return pan to heat, increase heat to high and boil down the liquid until just a couple tablespoons remain. Turn off heat, return broccoli to the pan, add the toasted sesame seeds, toss with the liquid. Put into a serving bowl.

Caesar salad comprises of romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. Traditionally it was prepared tableside. Caesar Salad introduced by Caesar Cardini, a Mexican chef working in Tijuana in the 1920s, who would dramatically serve it up table-side. Ingredients used in making Caesar Salad are 1/2 cup high quality extra virgin olive oil, 4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled, smashed, then minced, 1 baguette, preferably a day old, sliced thin, 1/4 cup freshly juiced lemon juice (plus more to taste), 4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated, 1 teaspoon anchovy paste, or 1-2 anchovies, smashed and minced 2 eggs, Freshly ground black pepper (1/4 teaspoon or to taste), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 4-6 small heads of romaine lettuce, rinsed, patted dry, wilted outer leaves discarded.

Method:

1 In a very large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and garlic. Let sit for half an hour.

2 While the oil is sitting, make the croutons. Spread the baguette slices out over a baking sheet (may need to do in batches), lined with parchment paper or Silpat. Brush or spray with olive oil (or melted butter, or if you want garlicky croutons, dip pastry brush in the garlic infused oil you have sitting in step 1). Broil for a couple of minutes until the tops are lightly browned. (Note: do not walk away; these can easily go from browned to burnt.) Remove and let cool.

The steps up until this point can be made ahead.

3 Add anchovies and eggs to the oil garlic mixture. Whisk until creamy. Add salt and pepper and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Whisk in half of the Parmesan cheese. Taste, add more lemon juice to taste. The lemon should give an edge to the dressing, but not overwhelm it.

4 Using your hands, tear off chunks of lettuce from the heads of lettuce (do not use a knife to cut). Add to the oil mixture and toss until coated. Add the rest of the Parmesan cheese, toss.

5 Coarsely chop the toasted bread and add (with the crumbs from the chopping) to the salad. Toss. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6 for a main course or up to 8-12 for a side salad.

Prosciutto, which is the Italian word for ham was derived from the Latin word perexuctus, meaning “deprived of all liquid.” Prosciutto is salt-cured, seasoned and air-dried, and very thinly sliced; only buy what you will use in the immediate future. Otherwise, the prosciutto will quickly dry out. Preparation time for Chicken Prosciutto is around 25 minutes. Ingredients used in making Chicken Prosciutto are 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, Freshly ground black pepper,1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter,8 whole fresh sage leaves,1/4 pound very thinly sliced prosciutto,2 eggs, beaten,8 thin slices Italian Fontana cheese.

Method:

1 Trim the chicken tenderloins away from the breasts, and reserve for another use. Cut each breast half in half, horizontally. Trim away any excess fat. Place the 8 chicken breast pieces between two large pieces of wax paper. Pound the pieces with a mallet until each one is about 1/8 inch thick. Season with ground pepper and set aside.

2 Heat the butter over medium heat in a large sauté pan. When the butter is foaming, add the sage leaves and cook them on each side for 1 minute. Remove the sage leaves from the pan and place a leaf on each of the chicken pieces. Next wrap each chicken piece with a single layer of prosciutto.

3 Dip the wrapped chicken pieces, one at a time in the beaten eggs, coating them well. Make sure the butter in the pan is foaming golden, not browned. Working in batches so that you do not crowd the chicken in the pan, place the chicken pieces in the pan. Cook the chicken breasts about 2 minutes on each side, or until they’re just past pink on the inside, golden on the outside. Remove.

4 Place chicken pieces on a flat baking sheet, and cover each piece with a slice of Fontana. Place under a preheated broiler until the cheese just melts, about 1 minute. Divide chicken among 4 plates and serve immediately, with the sauce.

5 While the cheese is melting, pour out the butter from the sauté pan. Add the white wine into the pan, place over high heat. Reduce the wine to 1/2 cup. Add the minced sage about a minute before the reduction is complete. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the chilled butter. Adjust the seasoning; pour over and around the chicken.