See Dick Cook: A Culinary Voyage for the Average Man (10 page)

Procedure

Combine sauce, tomatoes, beans, soup, corn, bouillon, chili pepper sauce, hot sauce, Worcestershire, Tabasco and chocolate in a large slow cooker turned to high. Cover and begin to warm.

Next melt the butter in a large frying pan on medium. Add onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic then sauté for approximately ten minutes or until vegetables begin to soften.

Add ground beef and cook until browned.

Stir in chili seasoning and add your beer. Simmer on low for ten minutes and then transfer to the slow cooker, blending all ingredients.

Using the same pan, fry chopped bacon until golden, drain fat and transfer bacon to slow cooker.

Cook on high for at least four hours, then turn to low until ready to serve. Serve with garlic toast.

Servings: 10

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Moderately difficult

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Cooking Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 5 hours

Dicks Tips

Make this in the morning Dick, as the longer it sits, the better it tastes. Also, you may want to freeze some left overs to use as The Dick Factor in Nascar Nachos.

Ciao Bella Steak

What could be more beautiful than a perfectly grilled steak with an exquisite portabella mushroom sauce? Here's hoping it's your dinner companion Dick.

Procedure

Sit your steaks out at room temperature for an hour or so Dick to get them ready for the barbecue. Season with garlic powder and Montreal Steak spice and set aside.

In a medium sized frying pan, melt butter and heat olive oil over medium heat.

Add the shallots and sauté for five minutes then add garlic and sauté for another minute.

Add the wine and mushrooms. Reducing heat slightly, boil softly for 7 - 10 minutes to reduce liquids.

Add the teriyaki sauce and heat through. Simmer on low until ready to serve, stirring occasionally.

Now grab yourself a drink and head for the barbecue with your steaks. Grill to your guests desires, then top with the portabella mushroom sauce and serve.

Servings: 4

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Easy

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Dicks Tips

To remove the stems from the portabella mushrooms gently wiggle the stem back and forth until you can gently remove it then toss it away. You don't need to remove the 'fins' - the black underbelly - but you can it if you'd like. Just shave them off with a spoon. Rinse and pat dry and they're ready to cook. For the teriyaki sauce, stay away from the 'marinades' and opt for the sauce or your mushroom sauce will be runny. Nobody likes runny sauce Dick.

Crabby Chicks

Oozing with creamy stuffed crab meat, this dish is sure to cheer up the grumpiest of diners. For a real tough case, just polish off the rest of the wine with dinner.

Procedure

Place chicken breasts in an empty clean grocery bag or large Ziploc bag and with a meat tenderizer pound to half their width. Set aside. Next, preheat oven to 325° F.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sauté shallots and mushrooms for ten minutes. Next stir in flour and thyme. Add chicken broth, milk, wine and cheese stirring constantly until mixture begins to boil and thickens. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.

Combine ¼ cup of the sauce with the crab meat, breadcrumbs and dill. Spoon equal parts of the crab mixture into the center of the chicken breasts. Roll chicken together and secure with a toothpick to keep rolled.

Spray a shallow baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, and arrange chicken, pouring remaining sauce over top. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon warmed up sauce over top to serve.

Servings: 4

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Moderately difficult

Oven Temperature: 325°F

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Dicks Tips

You can find imitation crab meat at the seafood counter for pretty cheap Dick. Using the plastic bag to pound the chicken in will keep pieces of raw chicken from catapulting across the kitchen, and getting stuck in your meat tenderizer.

Fishing for Compliments

A very mild dish, bursting with flavor and sure to please. The presentation looks like you were hard at it in the kitchen, but preparation really is quite simple. Serve this with a side salad and some rice. Oh and Dick, don't forget the wine.

Procedure

Preheat oven to 375° F and lightly spray a 9” x 11” baking dish with cooking spray.

In the pan, mix tomatoes, onion, wine, olive oil and seasonings. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, pan fry your Tilapia for about two minutes per side in a little bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Carefully remove pan from the oven and space the fish fillets evenly in the pan. Spoon some of the tomato mixture on top. Place back in the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Servings: 4

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Easy

Oven Temperature: 375°F

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Dicks Tips

You can substitute almost any white fish here Dick. Halibut and catfish are other options.

The Dick Factor: Instead of dried thyme, pick up some fresh thyme sprigs from the grocery store and use two of the sprigs for seasoning in the recipe. Use another four sprigs as garnish by placing one on top of each fish fillet just before serving. It's all about the presentation.

French Liqueur Chicken

Grand Marnier is a triple sec liqueur made in France with a fantastic orange flavor. Use it to cook with, then after dinner serve to guests in a warmed up brandy glass to really impress.

Procedure

Preheat your oven to 350° F.

In a shallow pan, mix 2 tablespoons flour, pepper, paprika and garlic salt. Coat the chicken breasts with the flour mixture.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the chicken breasts in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for about 2 minutes a side or until the outside is light brown.

Spray a medium sized baking pan or casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and place the chicken breasts in it.

In a saucepan melt the butter then add the Dijon mustard, orange juice concentrate, Grand Marnier and white wine. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons flour and cook until mixture is slightly thickened and smooth. Whisk any lumps away.

Pour over chicken breasts, cover with a lid or tinfoil and bake for 40 minutes.

Servings: 4

Dick’s Difficulty Gauge: Moderately difficult

Oven Temperature: 350°F

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Dicks Tips

A great side dish for this would be Rice Peel-Off Dick. Throw in a side salad, some wine, a little jazz music in the background and voila!

I'm a Catch Chicken Marsala

If you're still trying to convince her you're a keeper, one bite of this will close the deal. This dish is fan-friggin-tastic.

Procedure

Using a large Ziploc bag and your trusty meat tenderizer mallet, flatten the chicken breasts to about ¾ of their original size.

In a shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic, salt and pepper together. Coat each piece of chicken with the flour mixture then set aside.

In a large frying pan or better yet, a large electric skillet, melt butter and olive oil together on medium-high heat. Add the shallots and sauté for five minutes.

Next add your garlic and mushrooms, continuing to cook until mushrooms start to soften.

Remove the onion and mushroom mixture and temporarily place in a separate dish, covering to keep warm.

In the same pan, add another tablespoon of olive oil and heat on medium-high. Add the chicken breasts and cook for about three minutes per side, just lightly browning the coating.

Now return the mushroom mixture back to the pan, and add the Marsala Wine. The wine should come up to the tops of the chicken but not cover them completely.

Bring the Marsala Wine to a boil then reduce heat and simmer on medium-low to allow the Marsala to thicken. Depending on how much wine you need, this should take about 20 minutes Dick.

Remove the chicken from the pan and serve with additional mushroom sauce poured on top.