If you have some fresh fish and you are not sure what to do with it, cooking it in the deep fryer is always a good option. If you are unsure of how to deep fry fresh fish, it is not very hard at all; the most work that is involved is breading the fish. The fish is breaded in a flour, cornmeal, and seasoning mixture. You can add additional seasonings or adjust them to your taste. For example, if you want to add a little more heat, you could add more cayenne pepper. Also, when you are serving the fresh fish, having a good tartar sauce will help greatly. The tartar sauce is very easy to make, it combines ingredients such as mayonnaise, lemon juice, and sweet pickle relish. This recipe will work with just about any type of fresh fish—crappie, bluegill, perch, walleye, bass, ect. If you are looking for a great recipe for deep fried fresh fish, give this one a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1lb fresh fish filets
1/3 cup yellow corn meal
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 egg
½ cup milk
oil (for deep frying)
Tartar Sauce-
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1tablespoon onion (minced)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
salt and pepper (to taste)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Heat oil in the deep fryer to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, and minced onion. Stir in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Step 2: In a swallow bowl or pie plate combine corn meal, 1 cup of flour, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, parsley flakes, dried oregano, and cayenne pepper. In another bowl beat together the egg and milk.

Step 3: Pat dry the fish fillets with paper towels. Put ½ cup of the flour mixture into a plastic bag. Add the fish filets to the bag and shake to coat the filets with flour. Dip the filets, one by one, into the egg mixture, and then dip into the corn meal, flour, and spice mixture.
Step 4: Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees. Add the filets to the oil and deep fry in batches for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown and fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 145 degrees). Drain on paper towels. Serve with tartar sauce.
(Makes 2 Servings)

There are a lot of different types of sauces you can put on grilled chicken wings but classic honey BBQ remains among my top choices. This is a very simple recipe and is perfect for outdoor cooking. The chicken wings are placed onto the grill and brushed with a delicious honey BBQ sauce. The sauce has just the right amount of spiciness and sweetness to make it perfectly delicious. The sauce recipe does not call for any brown sugar but uses honey and molasses instead. The sauce gets a little heat from ground black pepper and Tabasco sauce. This sauce would also be great on any type of chicken or pork. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
3-4lbs chicken wings (separated at the joint, wing tips discarded)
Honey BBQ sauce-
1 cup ketchup
1 cup white vinegar
½ cup molasses
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a medium sauce pan combine ketchup, vinegar, molasses, honey, liquid smoke, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Tabasco sauce. Whisk until smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
Step 2: Lightly grease the grill grates of an outdoor grill. Heat the grill to medium high heat. Place chicken wings onto the grill and cook, turning as needed until the chicken wings are fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees). During the last few minutes of cooking brush with the honey BBQ sauce.
(Makes 4 Servings)

These grilled stuffed pizza burgers make an amazing Italian inspired dinner. These burgers are stuffed with mozzarella cheese and flavored with ingredients such as garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. The burgers are topped off with sliced mushrooms and warmed pizza sauce; you can add toppings of your favorite pizza ingredients as well. Some good choices would be sliced black olives, onion, and green pepper. Make you sure seal the burgers well or else they may come apart or cheese may come out while they are grilling. This makes an amazing dinner for any night of the week. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs lean ground beef
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
4 hamburger buns
½ cup pizza sauce (warmed)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large bowl mix together ground beef, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Shape the mixture into 8 patties about 1/4^th of an inch thick. Press ¼ cup of the cheese into a ball with your hands. Press the cheese flat into 4 of the patties. Place the cheese patties on top of the 4 beef patties. Pinch the edges together to seal.
Step 2: In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and set aside.
Step 3: Lightly grease the grill grates of an outdoor grill. Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Place hamburger patties onto the grill and cook for 11 to 14 minutes, turning once, until the hamburgers are fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 160 degrees). During the last few minutes of cooking, place hamburger buns, cut sides down, on the grill, and cook until toasted.
Step 4: Place burgers on the bottom halves of the buns. Top with pizza sauce and the mushroom mixture. Cover with the top halves of the buns.
(Makes 4 Servings)

These crispy BBQ chicken strips are great for dinner any night of the week. They are one of my favorite ways to prepared breaded chicken. The process to making these delicious chicken strips is not hard at all. The chicken strips are coated with a flour mixture and then deep fried and mixed with your favorite BBQ sauce. This recipe calls for store bought BBQ sauce with a few ingredients added. You can use whatever brand you prefer, or even make your own.  If you decide to make your own honey BBQ sauce, you do not need to add the extra sauce ingredients. I would recommend serving the chicken strips immediately after coating them with the BBQ sauce, to ensure that they are still crisp while serving. This is an excellent recipe for the upcoming football season. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into strips)
2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper (to taste)
1 cup buttermilk
vegetable oil (for deep frying)
Honey BBQ sauce-
1 cup hickory flavored BBQ sauce
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon ketchup
½ teaspoon liquid smoke

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a medium saucepan combine BBQ sauce, water, honey,  ketchup , and liquid smoke. Mix well and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Allow the sauce to cool slightly when finished simmering.
Step 2: Meanwhile, in a pie dish combine flour, salt and pepper. Set aside. Place the buttermilk into a separate bowl. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees. Dip chicken strips first into the flour mixture, then into the buttermilk, and then again in the flour mixture. Repeat until all chicken strips are well coated.
Step 3: Place into a deep fryer and deep fry the chicken strips in batches, until golden brown and fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees). Drain on paper towels. Toss chicken strips with the BBQ sauce and serve immediately.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Making wet burritos using beef is always delicious, but using shredded chicken is even better. If you have never had a wet burrito before, it is basically a burrito that is covered in sauce and cheese. I would say that it is very similar to an enchilada in a lot of ways. The chicken is first cooked and shredded, it is then mixed into a tomato sauce and green chili mixture and simmered for a few minutes. You can cook the chicken fresh, or use leftover cooked chicken for this recipe.  The chicken mixture is then wrapped in a tortilla with refried beans, topped with a sauce and cheese, and then placed into the oven. If you want to save time, you could just microwave the rolled up burritos until the cheese has melted. The sauce is easily one of my favorite parts about this recipe, the combination of enchilada sauce and home-style beef gravy is amazing. This makes a great dinner for any night of the week. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
Filling Mixture-
1 cup onions (chopped)
1 tablespoon oil
1 garlic clove (minced)
2 cups cooked chicken (shredded)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies (drained)
1 cup chicken broth
Additional Ingredients-
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
4 large flour tortillas
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 (18 ounce) jar home-style beef gravy
2 cups shredded Colby-jack cheese
Toppings-
sour cream
shredded lettuce
sliced black olives
salsa
chopped tomatoes

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender. Stir in shredded chicken, tomato sauce, green chilies, and chicken broth. Cook until heated through. In a medium sauce pan warm the refried beans. In another medium sauce pan, combine enchilada sauce and home-style beef gravy. Heat until almost boiling.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. To assemble the burritos- on each tortilla layer ¼ cup of refried beans and ¼ of the chicken mixture. Fold the sides of the burrito in, then roll from the other sides until you have a package formed. Place seam side down in a 13×9 inch baking dish.
Step 3: Pour about ¾ of the sauce mixture over the burritos in the baking dish and top with shredded Colby-jack cheese. Place into the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until the cheese has melted and the burritos are heated through.
Step 4: Spoon leftover sauce over the top of the burritos while serving. Serve with any of the toppings of your choice.
(Makes 4 Servings)

If you love club sandwiches, this pasta salad is something you are sure to enjoy. This salad combines all of the amazing ingredients of a club sandwich into a delicious pasta salad that is perfect for summer. This recipe calls for cooked turkey but you can use cooked chicken or ham as well. What I did was purchase a chunk of smoked turkey breast from the deli and sliced it into cubes. This salad is loaded with additional ingredients such as bacon, cheddar cheese, and cherry tomatoes. The best part about this recipe is the salad dressing. The dressing is a combination of onion powder, mayonnaise, and ranch dressing mix. There is not a lot of work required to prepare this dish, it mostly consists of chopping and mixing the ingredients. This club pasta salad is excellent for cookouts this summer. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked shell pasta
1 (1 ounce) packet hidden valley ranch dressing mix
4 slices cooked crispy bacon (crumbled)
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ cup mayonnaise
1 ½ cups cooked turkey or chicken (cut into chunks)
½ cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
½ cup cheddar cheese (cubed)
4 cups romaine lettuce (torn into pieces)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and boil uncovered for about 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water.
Step 2: In a large bowl combine Hidden valley ranch dressing mix, onion power, and mayonnaise. Stir in chilled pasta, bacon, turkey, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. Mix well.
Step 3: Serve the pasta over a bed of lettuce on each plate.
(Makes 4 Servings)

A teriyaki marinade and sauce is a great way to prepare flavorful and delicious pork chops on the grill. This recipe calls for very few ingredients and chances are if you like to cook Asian food, you probably have most of them on hand. The pork chops are marinated in a mixture of oil, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, and garlic. The pork chops are also brushed with the marinade while they are on the grill for even more delicious teriyaki flavor. What I really liked about this recipe is that it does not call for any sugar and still tastes great. You can use boneless pork chops or pork chops with the bone-in for this recipe. This is an extremely easy and quick recipe that is great for summer cook-outs. Enjoy.  Adapted from Budget Gourmet Mom.

Ingredients:
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 garlic clove (minced)
ground black pepper (to taste)
4-5 large boneless pork chops
sesame seeds (for garnish)
sliced green onions (for garnish)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large bowl bag mix together canola oil, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, and garlic. Whisk until combined. Add the pork chops to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover the bowl. Place into the refrigerator and marinade for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Lightly grease the grill grates of an outdoor grill. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.  Remove pork chops from the marinade, reserve the marinade. Season the pork chops with black pepper and place onto the grill.
Step 3: Cook the pork chops for a few minutes on each side, brushing with the marinade before flipping, until they are fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 145 degrees). Top with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Ham and macaroni and cheese go perfect together. I am always looking for different types of meat to go into my mac and cheese, and ham was a good choice. You can use several types of pasta for this recipe, such as macaroni, shells, or penne. The process to making this dish is very easy. After the noodles are done boiling, a delicious cheese sauce is prepared. The sauce is mixed with the pasta and ham and placed into a baking dish. The dish is then topped with buttery breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and baked in the oven. This is also a great way to use up leftover ham. Ham macaroni and cheese makes a perfect dinner for any night of the week. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
8 ounce penne pasta (or macaroni, or shells)
¼ cup butter
1 garlic clove (minced)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups milk
½ teaspoon prepared mustard
2 ½ cups shredded Colby cheese
4 ounces cooked ham (cubed)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup butter

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the penne pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al denta. Drain and set aside. In a small bowl combine bread crumbs and ¼ cup of melted butter. Set aside.
Step 2: Melt ¼ cup of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Whisk in the flour, salt and pepper. Cook while stirring for 2 minutes. Pour in milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil for 1 minute. Stir in mustard and Colby cheese. Continue to cook, stirring constantly until the cheese has melted. Remove from heat and stir in the past and ham.

Step 3: Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 2 quart baking dish. Pour the pasta and ham mixture into the baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese and buttered breadcrumbs. Place into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown.
(Makes 6 Servings)

I never thought about baking tacos in the oven before but it makes perfect sense. I really enjoyed how everything was warm and the cheese was melted. The process of making these delicious baked tacos is very simple. The taco meat is browned in the pan and seasoned, it is then mixed with refried beans, stuffed into taco shells, and topped with cheese. The tacos are then placed into a casserole dish and baked in the oven for a few minutes. After the tacos are done baking you can top them with your favorite condiments such a salsa, lettuce, tomato, and guacamole. If you want the tacos crunchy, you will want to make sure you place the shells so they are not touching each other. If you want to save time, you can use packaged taco seasoning instead. Enjoy. Adapted from Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures.

Ingredients:
2lbs ground beef
4 teaspoons dried minced onion
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2 cups shredded Colby-jack cheese
18-20 hard taco shells
Optional Condiments-
lettuce (shredded)
tomato (diced)
Salsa
Guacamole

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a small bowl combine dried minced onion, chili powder, cornstarch, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Step 2: In a large skillet brown ground beef over medium-high heat. Drain off any excess liquid. Add refried beans, tomato sauce, and prepared taco seasoning. Mix well.
Step 3: Spoon the taco meat mixture into the taco shells and place into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, standing up. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the taco meat in each shell. Place into the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tacos are heated through. Remove from the oven and top with any optional condiments for serving.
(Makes 8-10 Servings)