At Christian Grandparenting Network (CGN), we thank God for the men He has placed in our lives. They’re strong in character, supportive of their wives and families, and talented in many ways. One of the special talents we appreciate about them is their creative ability to cook. Here are some crowd-pleasing recipes exclusively from men of CGN.

Breakfast

Tom Streelman, our talented IT guy at CGN, offers this recipe. He says, “Whenever we have a men’s breakfast the guys all want me to bring this to the table.” This is one of his showcase recipes.

Oven French Toast

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
5 eggs
1-1/2 cup milk
Dash of salt
12 slices Texas bread

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a 9×13 pan over low heat on stove top. Remove from heat.
2. Add brown sugar and cinnamon , stirring until blended and covering bottom of pan.
3. Layer 12 slice of bread over brown sugar mixture.
4. Beat eggs well; add a dash of salt to taste. Beat in milk.
5. Pour egg mixture over bread.
6. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
7. Uncover and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes turning bread slices over after 30 minutes.

French Toast Casserole

Wanda DeLorge, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for CGN, shares this recipe from her Uncle Frenchie, who was a man of many talents, including his love for cooking and baking.  She always enjoyed eating at his home whenever her family visited with him and Aunt Jean in Boston.   

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter
2 ¼ cups of brown sugar
4 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 loaves of Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Bread (can also use cinnamon/raison bread)
8 eggs
3 cups of half-and-half

Directions:

1. Melt butter in microwave; mix with 2 cups of brown sugar and 4 teaspoons of
   cinnamon, and press in the bottom of a 10 X 15 glass Pyrex pan.
2. Cut off the crust from the loaves of cinnamon bread.
3. Put two layers of bread on top of the brown sugar.
4. Whisk eggs and add half-and-half.
5. Pour over bread, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
6. Bake covered for 40 minutes at 350 (sometimes it needs 10 minutes or so longer).
7. Remove cover and let brown lightly (approx. 5 minutes so it doesn’t dry out. It tends to puff up while it’s browning.)

Soup

Uncle Frenchie readily gave a cooking lesson to his niece, Wanda, DeLorge, for whatever he was preparing when she visited with her family. However; since he didn’t use recipes, she had to stop him along the way and measure things to get the details right. Here’s one that she captured.

Chicken, Chorizo, and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 medium white waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, peeled and diced
2 medium onions chopped
4 – 6 cloves garlic chopped
2 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
1 lb. kale coarsely chopped
1 – 15oz can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 lb. chorizo diced (casing removed)
1 qt. chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a deep pot over medium heat.
2. Add potatoes and onions, cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add garlic, bay leaves and kale until greens wilt (about 2-5 minutes).
4. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, chorizo and chicken broth.
5. Bring to a full boil, reduce heat
   back to medium and cook 5 – 10 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender.
6. Serve with hunks of crusty bread and butter.

Main Dishes

Paul Miller, who coordinates GrandCamps with his wife Diana, found this recipe on the web a long time ago and it has never failed to please, at least for people who love shrimp and garlic. . . This version is good for two people, and you can increase the quantities accordingly to make enough for four, six, or as many as you wish.

Shrimp Scampi for Two

Ingredients:

1 pound of large (or jumbo) in-shell shrimp (at least 10 or 12 shrimp)
1/2 stick of butter, or more, according to your taste (olive oil, or a
combination of butter and olive oil can be used)
4-6 buds of minced garlic according to your taste (if in doubt, add more)
6 whole green onions), sliced thin, not chopped (both white and green parts)
1/4 cup white wine, dry preferably (optional)
1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (fresh is preferable)
Salt and pepper, according to taste
Linguini or another pasta of your choice

Directions:

1. Clean the shrimp by removing the shells and tails, rinse and have ready.
2. Prepare the other ingredients and have them on hand to add to the skillet.
3. Cook pasta so it will be ready when the shrimp are done, allowing six
   to eight minutes for the next steps.
4. Heat the butter and/or oil in a large skillet on medium heat.
5. Add garlic, cook for only a minute or two, stirring to ensure it doesn’t brown.
6. Add the shrimp, green onion, wine and squeeze the juice out of the lemon into the pan.
7. Sauté everything together, stirring and flipping the shrimp until they are pink
   and cooked all the way through. This will take only a few minutes.
8. Add the parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
9. Spoon over cooked pasta of your choice (a tiny bit al dente is my preference).
10. Serve with your preferred side dish, such as sauteed zucchini with or without tomatoes.
11. Top off everything with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Sammy Schumann, husband of Sherry Schumann and strong advocate of CGN, submitted this recipe for a shrimp boil that originated in the small town of Frogmore, outside of Beaufort, SC. It is a yummy, classic favorite.

Frogmore (or Beaufort) Stew

Ingredients:

3 lbs. shrimp, unpeeled
3 lbs. kielbasa, cut into one-inch pieces
5 lbs. red potatoes, cut into one-to-two- inch pieces
5 large ears of fresh corn, shucked and cut into thirds
1 ½ cups Old Bay seasoning

Directions:

1. Fill a large steamer pot two-thirds with water. 
2. Sprinkle Old Bay seasoning in water. (Adjust the amount of seasoning to individual preference.)
3. Bring water to boil.
4. Add potatoes and cook them for 15 minutes.
5. Add the kielbasa and cook it for 15 minutes.
6. Add the corn and cook it for 5 minutes,
7. Add the shrimp and cook it for 3 minutes.
8. Drain and serve with cocktail sauce, Cole slaw, and cornbread. (feeds 12)

By special request, Sammy Schumann shares this recipe for southern-style Gumbo that the CGN crew enjoys during our annual planning meetings. For those who do not have access to game birds, chicken is an optional substitution for pheasant, chuka, and quail.

Gumbo

Ingredients:

2  cans of diced tomatoes (28 ounces each)
2 cups frozen sweet yellow corn
1 can white sweet shoepeg corn
1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)
1 can mushrooms
2 cups diced celery
2 cups diced onions
3 cups frozen okra
1 box Zataran’s Gumbo mix with rice
1 lb. Kielbasa, cut into small pieces
1 lb. package Jimmy Dean sausage (in a roll)
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces***
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
2 cups beef broth (low sodium)
1 tablespoon Minced garlic
¼ cup lime juice (optional)
¼ cup lemon juice (optional)

***The Schumanns’ normally use game birds. In place of the chicken thighs, you can use the breast from one pheasant, two chuka, and six-to-eight quail.

Directions:

1. Brown and drain Jimmy Dean sausage.
2. Brown kielbasa, chicken (or game birds), onion, and garlic.
3. Combine all the ingredients into a large pot.
4. Cook over low heat or in a crock pot until the vegetables are tender and the meat is cooked.
5. Add water if needed.

Side Dishes

Dave Howe is the husband of CGN Editor, Barb Howe. He submits this tasty recipe from friend, David Langer, https://flavorsoverfire.com/ (an avid grill master who teaches classes on BBQ technique). This dish is perfect with a barbecue meal of your favorite grilled ribs, burgers, brats, cornbread, and grilled vegetables. 

Cowboy Beans

Ingredients:

½ cup brown sugar, dark or light
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 kinds of drained canned beans-your choice, in 15 oz. cans, such as: white, dark kidney, and black
1 medium onion- chopped
2 jalapeno peppers (or more to taste), sliced
¼ cup molasses or honey
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
½ pound of bacon, chopped in 1 inch pieces
1 can – (28 oz.) of your favorite pork and beans- not drained

Directions:

1. In a skillet cook the bacon with sliced peppers. 
2. Add the diced onion and cook until the onions soften.
3. Pour off the bacon fat. Put the mixture into a crock pot.
4. Add the drained plain beans, brown sugar, molasses, and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and the pork and beans.
6. Mix everything together in the crockpot. Set the temp to Medium for 5 to 8 hours. (if you only have high or low settings, start high for a few hours, then go to low.)
7. During the last hour of cooking, get your smoker or grill going because that’s our next stop.
8. Put the contents of the crock pot into a sturdy aluminum pan or large cast iron skillet and set it in your smoker, or on the cool side of a grill to thicken the sauce and give the beans a smoky flavor. Once the sauce thickens, it is ready to serve. Suggestion: serve the beans in a small dish to keep the sauce from running into the other foods on the plate. 

Dessert

Not all men who cook are fathers or grandfathers. Barb Howe’s teenage grandson, Jaden, taught her how to make these cookies, which are her new favorite. He learned his cooking skills from his dad, who is a professional chef.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 egg
Splash of vanilla extract
1-¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
Chocolate bar (dark or milk chocolate)
Pinch of sea salt

Directions:

1. Heat butter in a saucepan on low heat until browned. Remove from the stove and add sugars.
2. Add vanilla and egg.
3. Sift flour and baking soda into butter/sugar mixture, then gently fold until combined.
4. Add chocolate chunks
5. Scoop dough onto baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes. 
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are slightly browned.
8. Sprinkle flaky salt onto warm, baked cookies. 
9. Cool on a rack before serving.