Caribbean Pepperpot

1 pound fresh okra (I use chopped frozen)
1 medium-size sweet red pepper
1 medium-size sweet yellow pepper
1 medium-size green pepper
1 medium onion
vegetable cooking spray
2 tablespoons minced jalapeño pepper
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups clam juice (I just buy clams in juice and add it all)
2 cups canned chicken broth
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried whole thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds peeled medium size shrimp
1 1/4 pounds sea scallops
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
3 cups hot cooked barley

Trim okra and cut diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces. Cut sweet peppers, green pepper, and onion into 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.

Coat a dutch oven with cooking spray; place over medium heat until hot. Add okra; saute 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add pepper pieces, onion pieces, jalapeño pepper, and garlic; saute 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in clam juice and next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Add shrimp and scallops to the mixture, stir well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook 5 minutes until shrimp turns pink and scallops are opaque. Remove and discard bay leaves. Stir in cilantro and orange rind.

Place 1/2 cup cooked barley in each individual serving bowl. Spoon 1 1/2 cups pepperpot over barley in each bowl.

**** I just add a box of barley and an appropriate amount of liquid to the entire cooking pot and cook them together. It requires a bigger pot, but the flavors combine well.

Easy Pasta Salad

1 (9 ounce) package refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1 (14 ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 (6 ounce) can pitted ripe olives, drained
8 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni
1 (8 ounce) bottle Parmesan Italian dressing

Cook tortellini according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain and cool.

Combine the remaining ingredients and mix together. Chill several hours before serving.

*** I also often cube some cheese and add it to the mix as well.

Tuna Casserole

1 (5 oz) package dried egg noodles
1 (10 3/4 oz) can creamed mushroom soup
1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 (6 oz) can solid white tuna in spring water, drained and flaked
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar
1 (8.5 oz) can English peas, drained
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup crackers

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Stir in soup and next 6 ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish.

Cover and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with crackers; bake uncovered 5 more minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Chicken Rotel

5 lb hen
2 large green peppers
1 1/2 sticks oleo (butter)
2 lbs Velveeta cheese
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 small can regular tomatoes
1 or 2 cans chopped mushrooms
1 can small English peas
2 large onions
2 tab. Worcestershire sauce
2 7 oz pks vermicelli spaghetti

Cook chicken and season in water enough to have 1 1/2 quarts broth. Chop and saute onions and peppers in oleo. Add mashed tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer a few minutes. Add cheese until melted. Add chopped mushrooms and peas. Cook spaghetti in broth and add the broth and spaghetti to cheese sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste (very little, if any, salt will be needed). Add chicken (shredded or chopped fairly fine).

This will serve 20 people.

it will make several casseroles for freezer.

Heat in moderate oven until bubbly.

***** I adjust the broth addition and just make it a consistency that seems right to me. Sometimes I just add chicken broth (I don't bother retaining the water from the spaghetti) instead.

**** I've also used different pasts for the most part. Spirals or things like that work really well with this recipe.

Easy Baked Ziti

- 16 oz. whole wheat or regular ziti, or other short noodle
- 26 oz red pasta sauce, any flavor
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta or low fat cottage cheese
- 1-2 cups fresh or shredded mozzarella cheese (diced if using fresh mozzarella), to taste
- 1-2 cups raw vegetables such as frozen peas, diced bell pepper, shredded zucchini, or diced cooked meat (optional)
- 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a large deep casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Cook the noodles according to the package directions until they are al dente (slightly firm to teh bite) and drain them. Return the noodles to the pot and toss them with the sauce, ricotta or cottage cheese, mozzarella, and any vegetables or cooked meat (optional).

Spread the mixture evenly in the casserole dish and top it with Parmesan cheese. bake it, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or slightly longer for a firmer top.