Swiss Bacon Dip

This is THE party dip. I take it everywhere I go and make it for everything I have at my house. I'd get in big trouble if I didn't.

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups grated swiss cheese
8 slices bacon
3 scallions, sliced
2 tsp. dijon mustard

Cook, drain and crumble bacon. Preheat oven to 400. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir well.

Pour mixture into an oven safe dish and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are bubbly and begin to brown. If you like you can serve it topped with sliced almonds, personally I think it's got enough flavor without them.

Serve with crackers and be ware, I've had more than one person want to just eat the dip with a fork! Pepperidge Farm's entertainment quartet crackers go really well with it, or any dark multi-grain cracker. Don't use ritz or buttery crackers.

Chicken Marinade

This is a dark, somewhat salty marinade that will give you some great chicken. Use low sodium soy sauce for less salt.

1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp. sherry
3 tbsp. brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, crushed

Mix all ingredients well. Marinate chicken for at least 2 hours. I prefer to let it sit 6-8 hours.

Chili Colorado

This is another family recipe that I've been lucky to get a hold of. It's a traditional Mexican dish. The meat is meant to be served wrapped up in tortillas with some of the sauce, but you can also use it in just about anything Mexican style - tacos, tostadas, burritos, etc.

2 lbs. boneless pork, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups water
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/8 tsp. cumin seed
1/4 tsp. oregano
8 dried anahiem chilies (chilies de la tierra)
2 tbsp. peanut or safflower oil
2 tsp. flour

Put the meat, salt and 1/4 cup water into a heavy pan. Cover pan and cook over low heat, shaking from time to time to prevent sticking, until the meat is just tender and the fat is rendering out. This should take about 45 minutes. If the meat becomes too dry during cooking add a little more water.

Crush the garlic, cumin and oregano in a mortar. Remove stems from chilies (leave seeds and veins), place in a pot, cover with water and simmer for about 10 minutes until the skin is soft. Drain water and place chilies in a blender with garlic paste and 1 cup water. Blend until smooth and set aside.

Add oil as necessary to the fat in the meat pan to make about 3 tbsp. Heat the oil and fry the meat lightly, turning it from time to time. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and keep frying until it slightly browns. Pass the chili sauce through a strainer into the pan and fry for a few minutes longer, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups water (the sauce should be thin) and cook for 15-20 minutes longer.

Asian Flank Steak

This recipe came from a former co-worker of mine, Karen. As I get stuff up on here you'll see her name pop up often, she's very forthcoming with her recipes (except her pumpkin bread, sigh) - and they're all very good.

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup plum sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup scallions, finely diced
3 tbsp. fresh cilantro, diced
2 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
2 flank steaks (about 2.5 pounds total)

Combine all ingredients except meat and mix well. Pour into a sealable bag or container and marinate meat for at least 3-6 hours, flipping occasionally.

Vinha Dahlos (meat marinade)

This recipe is an old Portuguese recipe handed down from my dad's family. It's very versatile and can be used on red or white meat with only a modification of the type of wine you're using. The trick is in the time - you really have to let it sit for a couple days to get to it's best.

1 1/2 cups vinegar
1 cup wine - red for red meat, white for white meat
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/8 tsp. sage
1 tbsp. coriander seeds, cracked
2 tsp. salt
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp. olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes, to taste

Combine all ingredients and use a marinade for whatever meat you like. My aunt uses this on thinly sliced beef for sandwiches and it's phenomenal. Marinate at least over night, over two or three nights if you can wait that long.

Southwestern Style Chili

Ok, so this one isn't a summer recipe at all. In fact, it'll probably be a few months before I make it again, at least if I have my way. The boys here absolutely love this stuff though, and I doubt they'll let me go that long without it. It's a great make ahead meal, you can prepare everything the night before and leave the crock pot on in the morning. You'll come home to a great hot meal and a wonderful smelling house.

2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 14.5 oz cans tomato sauce
1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, UNdrained
1 tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cumin
1-2 tsp. cayenne pepper, to taste
1-2 tbsp. red pepper flakes, to taste

Brown hamburger and drain grease. Create a well in the bottom of your pan and add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until onion and bell pepper begin to soften. Stir often to ensure nothing burns.

While the meat is cooking, throw everything else in your crock pot and turn it on low. The cayenne powder and pepper flakes can be omitted for mild chili. As written you'll get what I think of as a fairly hot chili - which to most of the world means a really hot chili. For medium halve the given amounts.

Add the meat mixture to your crockpot and stir well. Cover and let it cook on low for at least 4 hours. I usually let it cook for 6-8.

Edit: Lately I've been making this with turkey for a healthier meal. It comes out with a nicer consistency and tastes great. I use a standard 1.25 lb. package of turkey. For more detailed directions, check out my guide on Associated Content.

Red Meat Marinade

Summer is here, and out comes the barbecue! Hooorrray! My favorite thing about the seasons changing is the food changing as well - a barbecue on a rainy day just doesn't seem nearly as awesome as it does when it's sweltering out and you can't cook without a beer to keep you cool.

I'm a marinade whore. That's right, a whore. I love to marinade. Ever since I was kid it's been my favorite. I usually use this on london broil, but really it'd work nicely on any red meat.

3 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. canola oil
2 tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. black pepper

Mix all ingredients well and pour into a bag with meat. I like to let the meat sit for at least four hours, but usually overnight.

Jack Daniel's Grilling Sauce

I absolutely love Todd Wilbur and his book series, Top Secret Restaurant Recipes. It's a goldmine of replicated restaurant recipes. To make it even better, he has some free recipes on his website.

Like many people, my friend Benny is madly in love with TGIFridays' Jack Daniels grilling sauce. The restaurant lets you put it on pretty much any meat you can think of, and boy is it good. So of course when I found the recipe on the Top Secret Recipes website I talked Benny into a great trade - he and my sister got me a new indoor grill for my birthday, and I made him Jack Daniels steak on it.

The sauce came out fantastic! I was a little surprised at the recipe - there's very little Jack in it - but man it was greaaaat! Due to copyright restrictions I can't repost the actual recipe, but it's so good I had to share it. Check it out on the TSR website.