By ANDREW ARMSTRONG / Recipe Columnist

The weather still hasn’t improved to native Alabamian standards, and currently, the flu virus is running amok. California alone had 34 people die in the last week of 2017. At the start of 2018, the virus was and still is quickly spreading. I know lots of people who ended up with this terrible sickness. Some of them were hospitalized, and some were not.

For anyone who is still feeling some congestion, I have some recipes that could help. This week, I have recipes with spice. Lots of entire households are completely sick right now. Just because you are sick doesn’t mean you can’t have a nice meal together. I hope you all get to feeling better, and I wish you a lifetime of health, love and happiness from my kitchen to yours.

Follow Andrew M. Armstrong Recipe Columnist on Facebook, and send your recipes to P.O. Box 693 Leeds, Alabama 35094 to be featured in future additions.

Pecan Cream Cheese Pie

1 stick of cream cheese (8 ounces)

¼ a cup of sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons of vanilla

¼ teaspoon of salt

½ a cup of nuts (you can mix this recipe with any kind of nut)

1 pie crust (dough or graham cracker styled)

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Beat the first seven ingredients and spread in the pie crust.

½ a cup of sugar

2 eggs

2 tablespoons of flour

2 tablespoons of butter or margarine

1 cup of white Karo syrup

¼ a cup of water

Beat together the remaining ingredients and spread over the top of the cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until done. Let the pie cool before slicing.

Green Chili and Chicken Stew

1 cup of onions, chopped

1½ teaspoons of garlic powder

2 tablespoons of butter

1 jar of salsa verde (16 ounces)

1 carton of chicken broth (10 ½ ounces)

1 cup of salsa

1 cup of water

1 cup of carrots, chopped

1 can green chilies, chopped (4 ounces)

1 teaspoon of oregano

½ teaspoon of black pepper

3 cups of cooked chicken or 2-3 cans

1 can of pinto beans (15 ounces)

Stir fry the meat, herbs, butter and peppers together. Once sauted to the desired consistency, add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, stir occasionally and cook for 35 minutes.

Mashed Green Chili Potatoes

12 red new potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon of beef bouillon granules

2 ½ tablespoons of garlic powder

1 can of green chilies, chopped

Milk or cream

Butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes, until fork tender. Mash the potatoes by hand or use an electric mixer. Mix the remaining ingredients well, dissolving all the bouillon.

Cheesy Dorito Taco Salad

1 pound ground beef or chicken

1 packet of taco seasoning

¾ a cup of water

1 had of iceberg lettuce, chopped

1 red or orange pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

¾ a cup of pitted black olives, whole

1 can pinto beans (rinsed and drained)

1 cup of fresh tomatoes, diced

½ a cup of onions, chopped

1 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded

1 bag of nacho-flavored Doritos, crushed

1 jar of salsa (16 ounces)

Salt and pepper to taste

Sour cream

Sauté the meat and onions together. Once browned add in the seasoning and the water. Simmer 5 minutes or until thickened. Set the mixture aside and let it cool. Once cooled toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl and top with sour cream, more cheese and extra onions if desired.

English Peas and White Sauce

2 tablespoons of butter

1½ tablespoons of flour

½ a teaspoon of salt

1 cup of milk

1 cup of canned peas

Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Blend in the flour and salt. Stir in the milk, continuing to cook until it is thick and bubbly. Once thickened add in the peas. Heat the peas thoroughly and serve.

Andrew’s Cheesy Dorito Mexican Chicken Dip

2 large packages of Cheesy Doritos

(1 package of chips for the dish and 1 package to eat with the dip)

1 whole cooked rotisserie chicken, deboned and picked clean

(4-5 cans of chicken can be used if a rotisserie chicken is not on hand)

2 cups of shredded cheese.

2 cans of cream of chicken soup

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1½ teaspoons of garlic powder

1½ teaspoons of cilantro

1 lime, juiced

1 large onion, chopped

1-2 bell peppers, chopped

1 can of Rotel (10 ounces)

1 cup of milk

(optional)

1 small can of green chilies, chopped

1 teaspoon of chili powder

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Pour one package of the Doritos chips into the bottom of a greased baking dish. Set ½ a cup of the shredded cheese to the side. In a mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix very well. Pour the mixture into the dish and spread well over the chips. If it’s a little too thick, then add more milk to the mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. After it is cooked, then add the ½ a cup of cheese to the top of the casserole. Bake the dip another 15 minutes. Once the last 15 minutes is over, let it cool and rest for 15 minutes. This casserole is great, when eaten as a dip with more Doritos.