Hot As Hades Chicken Bits

3 pounds boned chicken breasts
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons red pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup flour
Vegetable oil

Cut chicken breasts lengthwise into 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle garlic salt freely over chicken, turning pieces so each is coated. Continue with red, then black pepper. Set aside for 1 hour to let chicken absorb flavor. Dust chicken with flour, then deep fry in vegetable oil at 375 degrees F for 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm or cold.

Cordon Bleu Fritters

The cheese and meat must be chopped as small as possible. Use a food processor - a knife won't give you the squishy texture needed to form the balls. "Dry batter mix" can be any one of several kinds, including a fish batter mix or a beer batter mix.

2 cups finely grated Swiss cheese
2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken
1 cup finely chopped cooked ham
2 (8 ounce) packages dry batter mix
12 ounces beer
Canola oil for deep frying (at least 6 cups)

Mix cheese, chicken and ham together; form into small balls, about 1 1/2 tablespoons each. Mix 1 package batter mix with beer. Pour remaining batter mix onto a large plate. With a tablespoon and your fingers, dip each ball into the wet batter, then roll it in the dry batter. Meanwhile, heat canola oil in a large, high-sided pan or kettle to about 375∞F. Do not let oil smoke, and do not cover the pan with a lid. When the oil is hot, drop balls into oil, several at a time, and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Makes 2 dozen balls.

Shrimp Taquitos

Shrimp Filling
1 pound thawed shrimp, diced 1/2-inch
2 teaspoons fresh garlic, chopped fine
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 ounce or 1 tablespoon butter
1 ounce or 2 tablespoons green cabbage, finely julienned
1 ounce or 2 tablespoons red cabbage, finely julienned
1 ounce or 2 tablespoons carrots, finely julienned
1 ounce or 2 tablespoons red onion, finely julienned
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
2 ounces or 1/4 cup shredded jack cheese
1 ounce vinaigrette dressing
2 teaspoons canned minced jalapenos
2 teaspoons jalapeno juice

Optional accompaniments:
Shredded lettuce, fried tortilla strips, grated cotija cheese, red pepper dip, fruit relish.

Saute shrimp with garlic, salt, pepper and butter until almost done. Remove from fire and transfer to mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix well to ensure complete incorporation of products. Cool filling before preparing taquitos.

Deep Fried Pickles

1 c sour cream
1/4 c blue cheese dressing
1 (16 oz.) jar sliced dill pickles
Oil for deep-frying
1/4 c mayonnaise
2 tbs dijon-style mustard
3 c seasoned bread crumbs

Mix sour cream, mayonnaise, blue cheese dressing and mustard together in a serving bowl. Set aside. Dredge pickles in bread crumbs and deep-fry in oil at 350 degrees until golden. Serve with sauce for dipping.