2016 Holiday Cookbook: Main course

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim and discard excess fat from chicken. Place chicken in a bowl. Combine melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic. Pour over chicken, tossing to coat. Allow to marinate 20-30 minutes.

Place grapes in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange chicken on top of grapes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with any juice and butter mixture remaining in the bowl. Place a lemon slice on each piece of chicken.

Bake, uncovered, 45-50 minutes until chicken is browned and juices run clear (internal temperature 165 degrees). Baste with pan juices and let rest 10 minutes before serving with the roasted grapes. Garnish with fresh herbs.

This easy dish is good enough to serve to company. The roasted lemon slices and grapes add just the right sweet and sour complement to the juicy chicken.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat, add onion and cook until softened. (They should be opaque.)

Reduce heat, add minced garlic and cook until fragrant. In a bowl, add chicken broth, coconut milk and curry powder; stir to combine.

In a cup, mix 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and 2 teaspoons of water until combined. Add to the chicken broth mixture. Add the chicken broth mixture to the onions and garlic in the skillet and bring the sauce to a boil. Stir to thicken, about two to three minutes.

Add the shrimp and 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice; cook until shrimp is pink or cooked through. Serve over rice and top with the toasted coconut flakes.

This recipe came from a very small carry-out down the street by our son’s apartment in Omaha.

Spray 9-by-12-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Mix Parmesan, salt, pepper and panko crumbs together in a bowl. Wrap each chicken breast in a strip of bacon. Dip each piece in melted butter, then in panko mixture, coating well. Place in baking dish. Bake in 350-degree oven for one hour.

If unable to find the Parmesan Plus Zesty Red Pepper, just use Parmesan cheese.

Place a rack in upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix coriander, cumin and cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle chicken with spice mixture, pressing to adhere; season with Kosher salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet or heavy pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, skin side down, until brown and beginning to crisp, about five minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and arrange pineapple slices, or chunks, in pan. Place chicken, skin side up, on top of pineapple. Transfer to oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165 degrees, approximately 40-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring Serrano pepper, garlic, pineapple juice, vinegar, brown sugar and paprika to a boil in a small saucepan and cook until thickened and syrupy, 12-15 minutes; season with salt, to taste.

When chicken is done, brush with glaze and roast just until glaze is bubbling, about two minutes; repeat with any remaining glaze. Remove pan from oven, transfer chicken and pineapple to serving platter, and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with any juices from skillet alongside.

Cut flank steak into thin strips. In a resealable plastic bag, add flank steak pieces and cornstarch. Shake to coat.

In slow cooker, add olive oil, minced garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, carrots and ginger. Stir ingredients. Add coated flank steak and stir until coated in sauce.

Cook on high for two to three hours or on low for four to five hours until cooked through and tender. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes or even in a bun.

This has become my all-time favorite slow cooker recipe. The meat melts in your mouth and the sauce is amazing, and it is so easy to prepare.

Melt shortening in large skillet; cook and stir meat and onion in shortening until meat is brown and onion is tender. Add water; heat to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 50 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees; pour meat mixture into ungreased 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish; arrange potato slices on meat.

Stir together soup, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper; pour over potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese and cereal; bake, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours or until potatoes are tender.

I have been cooking for nearly 75 years and raised four healthy children. This is one of many favorite meals I have served. Chuck roast, cut up, may be substituted for the stew meat.

Salt and pepper filets on both sides. Let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Place the filets in the pan and cook for one minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and add balsamic vinegar and red wine. Cover and cook for four minutes on each side, basting with sauce. Serve immediately.

Fry hamburger; drain. Add tomatoes, seasonings, rice and ketchup. Cook for 20 minutes or until good and warm. You may add some shredded cheese.

This recipe came from my husband’s mom. they didn’t have much money, so to save a little and not buy too much hamburger, she added rice. It’s better to me than the canned sloppy joes.

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add garlic and onion and saute five minutes.

Add sausage (hamburger) and break apart with spoon; cook until browned, six to eight minutes.

Pour 1/2 cup of water and 1 cup tomato sauce over the meat mixture. Place lasagna noodles over meat mixture, top with tomatoes, remaining tomato sauce, basil and 1/2 cup of water

Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until noodles are tender. Dollop ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese) evenly over the mixture, and sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover and let stand two minutes or until cheese melts.

I have an old cast iron pan, complete with lid, that I use. It does a wonderful job.

Combine all patty ingredients; mix thoroughly and shape into four patties.

Brown the patties on both sides. Add rest of dry onion soup mix and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover pan tightly and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove patties to a platter. For gravy, combine 1/2 cup water with the 2 1/2 tablespoons flour. Whisk into the skillet until it comes to a boil. Boil for one minute. Return patties to pan. Serve patties and cover them with the onion gravy.

Place all ingredients except the rice in a saute pan and cook until the shrimp is opaque. In a separate pan, boil the rice in enough water to cover plus 1 cup of water. When the rice is done, serve with the shrimp mixture on the side. Add lime wedges and additional soy sauce to the table for a personalized touch.

An elegant and easy dish with Asian appeal that will bring spring to mind.

Chop all vegetables. Place in a 6-quart Crockpot dish. Add the coconut milk, kidney beans and 1 cup of water. Stir.

Sprinkle in seasonings and spices. Stir. Cook on high for three to four hours until the potato is tender and the curry thickens.

If using coconut as a garnish, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread coconut on a baking sheet and bake for three minutes. Garnish each bowl with toasted coconut and serve.

In a very large bowl, combine ingredients as listed, adding dressing a little at a time until everything is moistened (may not need the full bottle). Refrigerate until served.

This is a very adaptable recipe. You can use ham or bacon in place of the chicken.

Bring 3 cups water to boil, add rice and 1 tablespoon oil; reduce heat and simmer for 40-50 minutes or until rice is cooked. In a large skillet, stir-fry first next four ingredients in remaining oil until chicken is cooked (about seven minutes). Stir in 1/2 of seasoning packet and 1/2 cup water, then stir in 3/4 jar of salsa and simmer for at least 10 minutes.

Warm queso in microwave. Serve chicken mixture over rice and top with queso.

I like to stir-fry and my family likes Tex-Mex so I created this dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare stuffing mix according to directions on box, using 1 1/2 cups water.

In large bowl, combine chicken, broccoli, 1 cup cheese and soup. Place in a 9-by-13-inch greased baking dish. Top with stuffing and rest of cheese. (I sometimes use more than the 2 cups total.)

Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through.

Easy dish to make when you do not want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen but want the family to think you did!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray or grease an 11-by-7-inch baking dish.

Stir the first eight ingredients together in a large bowl and pour into the baking dish. Toss the croutons and butter together and sprinkle on top of the chicken mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Let stand for five minutes before serving.

This takes me back to eating at my grandma’s house. Always something warm and comforting about a casserole with fresh ingredients. Enjoy with frozen fruit salad, cranberry salad or Caesar salad.

Cook and cube chicken. Cook noodles according to directions on bag. Put noodles and chicken in Dutch oven. Add soup and 2 to 3 cups of milk, depending on desired consistency. Stir. Add seasonings. Mix thoroughly. Cook on stove on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup cheese. Mix. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Add remaining cheese. Stir. Cook another 10 minutes.

My grandmother, Francis Rudrow, made the best chicken and noodles. She never used a recipe, so this is my attempt at duplicating her delicious recipe.

Peel and slice onions. Cook onions in the butter until golden brown. Prepare a regular pie dough and spread in pie pan. Pour onions over dough and add well-beaten eggs mixed with cream. Place pie in 350-degree oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is brown.

Brown spareribs on both sides in broiler till most of fat is cooked off.

Pour off excess fat. Combine all other ingredients in saucepan and heat until the boiling point, stirring occasionally. Place ribs in Dutch oven, pour sauce over spareribs, cover and bake at 325 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. Baste with bulb baster about every 30 minutes

This is a recipe from my friend Jack from Alaska.

In a large skillet, brown turkey and drain on paper towels. Add barbecue sauce, brown sugar and onion. Separate the dough into biscuits and place each biscuit in an ungreased muffin cup, pressing dough up the sides to the edge of each cup. Then spoon meat into cups.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese.