This recipe is not an original do over and is simply worth passing on to the family.  Here is the link:  ​https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-chow-mein/

The unique concept and money saving key to enduring classic recipes is not to just think about one meal  but multiple meals that can use the same meat to spread the cost over several days instead of one expenditure. 

One of the best experiences I had on active duty was serving as the Dinning Facility Officer (DFO) for Headquarters and Service Battalion, 3rd Force Service Support Group.  I was the S-4 Officer and this came with several challenges.  I was in charge of two dining facilities feeding 4000 Marines on a daily basis for two years.  This would be the third assignment of this type during my career.  My first assignment as a DFO was at Camp Fuji while serving with Range Company in 1980-81.  I had to learn the ends and outs of the MCO system and that began by reading all of the service regulations.  I discovered how to maximize the proper use of meals and that includes using leftovers for enduring meals and not simply throw away things days after.  For instance using left over ground beef hamburgers for SOS in the morning with eggs to order.  Also, the use of a salad bar to really bring the cost to feed down that enabled my Marines to always have real classic meals and not the imitation stuff.

​Enduring Classic Recipes provides ways to enjoy quality meals but save money at the same time.

​​Prime Rib or Rib Roast is not cheap and if you have a family trying to make ends meet financially then one needs to plan meals and make them spread out.  I may spend 35-40 dollars for a 5-7 rib of standing roast but way after the relatives are gone I still have leftover meat and I cutup the remaining meat including the bones and make other meals that will feed the family for at least a week. After three days I place the rest in a storage bag for use during the next few months.  My lunches come from these storage bags in the freezer.  The flavors when placed in a microwave drive my co-workers crazy.  But this secret makes those leftover meals simply the most enjoyable and delicious recipes to always remember.  You will never forget the taste and your friends or family will always ask you to make these year after year.  So be careful who you share these enduring recipes with in the future.  Recipes are forth coming in Enduring Classic Recipes.

This Christmas Eve party we served ham.  Typically every year we seem to always cook more than what is needed.  We never run out of food when guess are coming over for the holidays.  Many times people tend to through out a lot of food after holiday meals.is needed.  I cook the spiral ham and then I cut up the ham and save the bone and the top uncut portions on the ham to save for ham and northern beans.  This is a perfect way to use the left overs but this time I wanted a twist because I was craving cornbread.  I opened up the pantry and found instead this box of biscuit mix from Zatarins.  Of course I never just use anything striaght out of the box so I added some of my favorite things to spice up the flavor and wow!  The best cornbread muffins I have ever tasted.  

Normally I would just cook the beans with onions and a couple of my spices.  But this time I did a search to see what other variations were out there.  After an hour I found a Ham and Bean soup recipe.   After trying it it just did not go right with the biscuits because the flavors flooded each other.  So I modified it and adopted some of the lessons learned from cooking a favorable collard green broth.  But instead of broth I would need some chicken stock  and chicken broth.  The result is the most delicious Ham and Bean Soup Combo.using left over ham and Northern Beans.

Recipe will follow in the book Annapolis Creed: Enduring Classic Recipes

When I was growing up as a teenager after our parents bought their first home our dinner most of the time was from TV dinners like the one pictured below was my favorite.  I haven't bought this in over a year because it just wasn't enough.  The picture above is my sister's plate but she only began with 1/2 of a steak with just the mushrooms and onions.  After one taste she came back for more gravy.

I agree with the last customer review about the patties being small and lacking sufficient gravy.  Below is the latest review.

The other reason for no longer buying the banquet dinners is because I can make it much better at home with more flavor and never run out of the gravy.  This is a five star meal that will satisfy your taste buds and have you going back for second portions.  Where did this meal get its name?

History of Salisbury Steak (Story from Smithsonian.com)

The phrase “Salisbury steak” from a TV dinner no longer sets off my salivary glands opposite—but it’s a lot more appetizing than how Dr. James Henry Salisbury described the dish before it was named after him: “muscle pulp of beef.”

Dr. Salisbury, like many people before and since, believed that food was the key to health and that certain foods could cure illness, especially of the intestinal variety. He tested his theories during the Civil War, treating chronic diarrhea among Union soldiers with a diet of chopped-up meat and little else. After 30 years of research he finally published his ideas, setting off one of the earliest American fad diets.

As for the ill soldiers, the problem was an “starchy , army biscuit diet,” with not enough variety or nutrients.

His prescription:

The first step is to wash out the sour stomach and bowels , and to change the food. The food selected should be such as is least liable to ferment with alcohol and acid yeasts. This is muscle pulp of beef, prepared as heretofore described, when it affords the maximum of nourishment with the minimum of effort to the digestive organs. Nothing else but this food, except an occasional change to broiled mutton.

In the preface of his book, Salisbury described the research that led him to his conclusion:

In 1854 the idea came to me, in one of my solitary hours, to try the effects of living exclusively upon one food at a time. This experiment I began upon myself alone at first…. I opened this line of experiments with baked beans. I had not lived upon this food over three days before light began to break. I became very flatulent and constipated, head dizzy, ears ringing, limbs prickly, and was wholly unfitted for mental work. The microscopic examination of passages showed that the bean food did not digest.

In 1858 he enlisted six other schlemiels to come live with him and eat nothing but baked beans. He did not mention whether he had a wife who had to put up with seven flatulent, dizzy mopes in her home; my guess is no. Later he and four other guys subsisted solely on oatmeal porridge for 30 days. Other single-food experiments followed, leading him to the conclusion that lean beef, minced to break down any connective tissue and fully cooked, was the best and most easily digested food. By the time the Civil War started, in 1861, he was ready to test his theories on suffering soldiers.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/salisbury-steak-civil-war-health-food-18584973/#5j8B2gIE8PRHc5a1.99
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This is the first part of a complete meal.  I saw this first meal in a movie a long time ago filmed at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles.  Too far to drive to go there.  Joyce loves to cook Belgian waffles and we both love chicken.  So with the right ingredients this is a match made in heaven.   TESTED & PERFECTED RECIPE – These chicken tenders are marinated in seasoned buttermilk and pan-fried to crispy, crunchy perfection.  They are tender and packed with so much flavor.  You can not eat just one, the after taste will make you go begging for more.

Field tested this on December 19, 2017 with my visiting Sister-In-Law (Linda) who enjoys coming to our home for Christmas vacation and of course eating meals with Joyce and myself.  The neighbors say they can smell the food cooking from down the street.  At least that's what my daughter (Christina) says when arriving unexpectedly but always around 5 PM because she knows that it is dinner time.   

I love to cook but afterwards I can't eat right away.  I always fix myself  a refreshing drink and wait for the sounds of approval by those consuming the results of my hard work.  Linda, my sister-in-law normally likes to watch her diet and eat only a small portion of the meals.  She took her first  bite out of this chicken and I heard her say, "Oh my God!"  I asked what was wrong and she says I got to have another piece of this chicken.  Well, she had four pieces and so did my lovely wife Joyce.  Joyce normally approves by saying, "Honey this is sooo good!" She also had more than one serving and then adds, " I can't get skinny with you cooking like this.".

This chicken was even better the second day.  I placed it in the oven at 225 degrees to warm the second day and came out perfect.  For those that like cold chicken you won't be disappointed with each visit to the refrigerator for a night time snack.  The recipe for this mouth-watering perfection will be in the book Annapolis Creed: Enduring Classic Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2) pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•  2 cups buttermilk

Seasoned Flour:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 1/2 quarts peanut oil for frying

Directions

• ​Prep 10 m 
• Cook 25 m 
• Ready In 6 h 45 m

1. Toss together chicken pieces, black pepper, salt, paprika, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, white pepper, and cayenne in a large bowl to coat.
2. Stir in buttermilk until chicken is coated. Refrigerate for 6 hours.
3. Combine flour, salt, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, white pepper, and onion powder in a large shallow dish.
4. Remove chicken from the buttermilk and dredge each piece in the seasoned flour. Shake off any excess and transfer to a plate.
5. Heat peanut oil in a large Dutch oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Add all the chicken to the pan and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Turn chicken pieces and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
7. Remove chicken from the oil and transfer to a cooling rack set over a paper towel lined baking sheet. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

~Bon Appetit
~Annapolis CreedIngredients

• 1 (3 1/2) pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

 

• 2 cups buttermilk

Great for watching football games and full of rich creole flavors. The recipe from Annapolis Creed: Enduring Classic Recipes fills the home with wonderful flavors during the most wonderful times of the cool fresh airs during the fall and winter of each year.  This is a awesome meal to keep the mind fit and the body feeling so good on the inside.  The blend of tomatoes and other vegetable additions helps create a rich and tasteful juice to the delicate and tender turkey necks.  This recipe works well even with leftover turkey scraps like the bottom of a turkey, legs, and necks.  This saves money by extending the use of what is normally thrown away.

Ingredients
 
5-6 Turkey Neck Bones packaged from Butcher
3 large red potatoes or 9 mini red potatoes
1 can green beans (I like French style)
1 can Hunt Diced Basil & Garlic tomatoes
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
4 pieces of bacon strips
2 tablespoons of minced garlic

Broth Seasoning during the simmer
 
24 ounces of chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar
8 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoon seasoning salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 ½ tablespoon garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
 
First Cooking Time (1.5 - 2 hours)

Rinse your turkey necks and cover with water up to the handle screws. Boil your turkey necks in a big pot of water over medium heat (Number 7 on a gas stovetop) with ¼ onion, 1 tbsp garlic pepper, 1 tbsp garlic salt, 1 tbsp salt, 1 bell pepper until tender. Cook without the top then cover with a top when tender


Prep Potatoes

Meanwhile, chop up 3 red potatoes into small pieces or mini (halves) and soak them in a bowl of water
 
Slice up one big onion into small pieces and slice up 4 strips of bacon into small pieces

Get a frying pan and place it over medium heat. Add 3 tbs. of oil to the frying pan. Add your chopped onions and bacon pieces along with 2 big tbs. of minced garlic. Allow them to fry for 10 minutes or until veggies become light brown. Turn off the fire once done and set it aside.

Once your turkey necks are done drain most of the juice.

Final Preparations

Add to the pot, diced tomatoes, your chopped up potatoes, and your fried minced garlic onions and bacon pieces.

Add 6 cups of chicken broth and return to a boil

Season: Add to the pot 2 chicken bouillon cubes,1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup of sugar, 3 tbs of season salt, 1 tbs of onion powder, 2 tbs of garlic powder, 1 tsp of black pepper, and 1 tsp of cayenne pepper

Simmer over medium heat for 1.5 hour or until your green beans are as tender as you desire. 
 
During the last 30 minutes turn down to simmer (3) and uncover to reduce the liquid, add the green beans and diced tomatoes.  Turn off and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
 

Enjoy this recipe
 

Warning!
If you cook this you will never stop cooking it for family and friends. 
 
Original Recipe Name: 
Ooey Gooey

History:

This cake is a legendary Depression-era mistake. The story goes that a baker in St. Louis accidentally mixed up the ingredient proportions for his cake, resulting in a gooey texture. Because it was the Depression, they couldn’t just throw it out, so they sold it and it was an instant hit.

My Background with the Original Recipe

Although I was born in St. Louis, Missouri and lived there for my first eighteen years no one in my family had ever made this desert.  Believe me after you have just one bite.  The first words out of your mouth will be OMG!  It like the old Lays Potato Chips commercial when I was growing up in the 90's.  You can't just take one bite or one slice.  You will want to steal it and eat the whole thing by yourself. 

My first time eating a form of Ooey Gooey was upon my return from Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in June 1990.  The West-bank Revival church in Terrytown, Louisiana gave me a welcome home party serving Kentucky Fried Chicken.  Normally I would love to stuff my face with KFC but this time was different.  Every desert has to look good and this did but after the first bite hit the taste buds the look of it doesn't matter any more.

During the gulf War there were certain foods forbidden because of the religious traditions in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and because of this there was no bacon or pork.  The main meal was chicken.  I was sick of chicken upon my return back to New Orleans.  The church secretary (Susie I think) made this desert sprinkled with white powdered sugar.  I don't normally eat a lot of deserts but on that warm summer day I had my first taste of the world's best desert.  I remember asking her what the name of the desert was and she said, "Ooey Gooey."

I won't ever forget that first bite and the name speaks for itself.  I had one taste and knew I had to have this recipe. So I remember walking two miles to their home to get the recipe in 1990 because I had no car at the time.  The recipe written on the back of a Christmas card got misplaced over the years and so I never made it but I did remember some of the ingredients because I saw her make it for another church function.  I must have tried to duplicate the recipe dozens of times always failing.  My experiments always lacked a missing ingredient or too much of one thing or another.  In 2003 after finding the best wife ever (Joyce) I made it for a Christmas Eve party and over the past fourteen years I have finally perfected my version of that funny named desert.  

If you research it on the internet search for Ooey Gooey butter cake and the recipe that came close was the one from Paula Dean.  But Paula's not the original and my first memorable bite and taste had pecans in it.  You will find multiple versions on the internet.  Because I have family members who are diabetic I had to modify the recipe to reduce the amount of sugar.  The original was really sweet beyond the words because Susie would put four cups of sugar into cream mixture to top off the cake.  So the name will have to change and below you will find one of the enduring family recipes from my next book (Annapolis Creed: Enduring Classic Recipes) done in collaboration with my wife Joyce as we record our family traditional meals from Pops and Nana Joyce. 

Bon Appetit!

Recipe Follows Below

Recipe Name:  Annapolis Creed Goo Cake
Ingredients
 
Cake
1 (15.25 or 18 oz) package butter cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons of light brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 package pecan half pieces or pecan pieces
 
 
Goo
8 tablespoons melted butter
1 (8 oz) package Philadelphia softened cream cheese (microwave for 45 seconds)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup (16 oz) powdered confectionery sugar
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
1 teaspoon Wild Turkey or Jack Daniels Bourbon (Age & Flavor)
 
Christmas Holiday Topping (Optional)
¼ teaspoon nutmeg to cake mixture (optional for Christmas time)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon to cake mixture (optional for Christmas time)
 
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 °F.
 
Apply butter flavored cooking spray to a 13 by 9-inch baking pan.  Take 1 tbsp. of flour to coat the bottom and sides of the pan, shake and discard the excess.
 
Combine the cake mix, 1 eggs, 8 tablespoons butter and mix well with an electric mixer or by hand. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
Add the pecans to the top of the cake mixture.
 
Place cream cheese in microwave for 30-45 seconds to soften.  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the 2 eggs, vanilla extract and 8 tablespoons butter and beat together.
 
Next, add the powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, (optional nutmeg & cinnamon), Wild Turkey Bourbon, and mix well. Spread over cake batter and bake for 30-45 minutes (Set timer for 30 minutes because oven temperatures vary) or until topping is golden.

​Allow to cool somewhat to set topping (slides off when warm). Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.