Recipes and Cooking Tips
by
John P. Helm
Revised Version Dedicated to my special niece, Rebecca
Revised 2001
Radford, Virginia
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This little group of recipes is made up my favorites collected over 32 years of cooking for myself and others. I have made a point of including my favorite family recipes, in order to pass them along.
I resisted the temptation to include some recipes which look good, but which I haven't tried. I have made all of these recipes at least twice and expect to make them all again.
All of them are easy, in the sense that measurements need not be exact and cooking times and temperatures can vary quite a bit with no problems. I have not included any dessert recipes -- I do not make many desserts. and although I have a collection of dessert recipes, I have few that I have made more than once, I mostly get by on ice cream and canned fruits, without or without jello, when I feel need for dessert.
Most of these recipes serve 4 to 6. Although one can generally cut a recipes in two, it is often not as simple as dividing all the measurements by 2. I practically always make the full recipe and freeze any leftovers that I don't expect to eat the next day. I do most of cooking on weekends, during the school year.
Some Random Hints
On lemon juice
: Bottled concentrated lemon juice is a very satisfactory replacememt for fresh and is a lot cheaper and easier to keep. I buy the big bottles and they keep forever in the refigerator. Like most things, I buy the house brand is just as good and 1/2 the price of RealLemon.On lime juice : same as lemon.
On onions: I use fresh onion when I have it but always keep dried minced onion and onion powder on hand for emergencies or when I need just a little onion flavor.
On shallots: not worth the price to me; I alway subsitute green onions.
On garlic: Fresh is better and unless you use lots of garlic, buy just one bulb at a time - avoid the little packages of 3 - they cost more and usually go bad. I keep garlic powder and garlic juice on hand for emergencies. I think a good quality garlic press is a good investment: the cheap ones bend and soon do not work well.
On butter and margarine: for general frying, I use margarine, but for flavor, I alway use real butter. . I keep both on hand.
On tomatoes: If the recipe does not already call for sugar, adding 1/2 to 2 t.(t means teaspoons:T means table spoons) of sugar will improve almost any dish that uses tomatoes. Tomatoes can be frozen, but are only suitable for cooking thereafter.
Canned tomatoes can usually be subsituted for fresh in any dish in which the tomatoes are cooked or even heated.
On parsely: fresh parsely sometimes costs $1 a bunch and you usually need only 2 T. The solution is dried parsely flakes which can be re-constituted by soaking in water. I keep them on hand. Sometimes you can get good bargains on them and dried onions at discount stores.
When buying fresh pineapple, look for yellow on the outside, not dark green.
On roasting ears ; Fresh sweet corn cooks nicely in the microwave, in the unshucked state.
The problem is that the cob does not get hot, so the corn does not stay hot long ehough even to melt the butter. Also the shucks make a mess at the table and if you shuck them before serving, they will really get cold. Conclusion: the old fashioned method of boiling the ears works best.
On shredded cheese: Often the shredded cheese is $1 more than a block of cheese. You can shread all the cheese you need for a recipe in 5 miniutes and it will be fresher and keep longer that the already shredded kind.
On stew beef: any kind of beef can be cut up into stew beef. Often you will find boneless chuck or round roast priced a dollar or more less than stew beef. I can save a couple of dollars and probably get better meat just by spending 5 minutes cutting it up.
Abbreviations used throughout
t = teaspoon
T = tablespoon
Oven settings are in Fahrenheit degrees and the degrees symbol has been omitted. E.G. "Bake at 325" means "Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit."
Some Quick Basic Low-Price Main Dishes for Everyday.
Many of the dishes were Mom's standard dishes. Others have become staples only with me.
Oven Baked Eggs
This was Mom's special breakfast dish for special occasions, such as Christmas or Easter.
As many eggs as you need to serve.
One slice of bacon per egg
Line each slot in a muffin tin with a piece of bacon.
Break one egg over each piece of bacon.
Bake at 325 until eggs are cooked.
Note: this is Mom's recipe. The bacon will not be fully cooked, which I rather like. I gave this recipe to a colleague, and she had to feed the bacon to her dog. Her solution, which I endorse, is to fry the bacon, either in a skillet, or in a microwave, until is not quite cooked, then put it into the mufffin tin.
Oven Baked Toast : Goes with oven baked eggs.. This is easy with a toaster oven. Mom served on special occasions, but also when the electric power was off and the electric toaster was off. The oven was gas and never failed.
Butter bread heavily on one side ; place on the rack in a toaster oven or a lightly greased baking sheet in a conventional oven. Top brown, or broil for 1-3 minutes, until toast is brown. (You will have to experiment, to know how long to cook the toast.)
Also a good way to toast French or Itallian bread.
Kidney bean hamburger (see recipe in beef section)
Chop Suey (see recipe in beef section)
Gob-Gooey (see recipe in beef section)
Creamed Chicken Noodle soup on toast.
Put one can chicken noodle soup in a sauce pan. Add 7/8 soup can milk. Heat to boiling point. In a cup, mix 1 T flour with 2 T milk. Add the mix the soup, stir well and heat until the soup is thick. Serve over toast.
Creamed chipped beef: (see beef section)
Fresh (or frozen fish) filets. If frozen, thaw overnight inthe refrigerator or use microwave.
Spray baking pan with cooking spray .Put 2 thin pats of butter on top of each piece of fish. salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice.
Bake at 320 for 20 minutes or until done.
Salmon loaf (see recipe in sea food section)
Ham steaks, ham, Canadian Bacon, Smoked Pork Chops
Broiled or pan-broil in a skillet. Make red-eye gravy by adding a little water and instant mixing flour to the skillet residue
Corned Beef;
Boil,covered, in water to cover until tender -- about
2 hours. serve hot. Also great cold, in sandwiches
Hamburgers (fake it)
Sausage and sauerkraut.
Fry the sausage, until browned and done. Drain off the grease. Add one can of sauerkraut,
cover and simmer for 10-20 minutes,
Weiners and sauerkraut. : Mom simply heated the weiner and kraut together in a covered skillet until it got boiling hot. I prefer to fry the weiners in a little butter and serve on top the heated kraut .
Beans and franks. Add 1 pack of weiners to 1 can of pork and beans. Add 1/2 cup diced green pepper, if you wish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Adding 1 t each of mustard, catsup, minced onion and molasses improves pork and beans at lot; or you can buy canned "baked beans" for a little more money .
Roast beef (rump or sirloin tip)
Salt and pepper roast. Put roast, fat side up,in a baking pan.
Heat oven to 425 , put the roast in andImmediately turn oven back to 325 .
After about 20 minutes, add 1/2 cup water pan .
If you are using a glass baking dish, use hot water andpour it slowly over the roast, to avoid breaking the dish.
Bake for a total of about 15 minute per pound, or until done. I like my roast beef still pink. Slice thinly across the grain. Add water to the pan dripping and make gravy. Thicken with flour as needed.
EZ Beef and Noodles: Use any kind of boneless lean beef. Cut the beef up into thin strips. Brown the strips in 1 T butter. Add one can French onion soup and one cup water. (optional: add one small can mushrooms, undrained. ) Simmer covered until meat is tender. Add 2 cups uncooked egg noodles and cook about 10 minutes, and serve. Cookbooks will tell you to cook
the noodles separately and perhaps that is a little better.
(Just before serving add 8 oz. carton of sour cream and 1/4 cup white wine and you have beef Stroganoff.)
Beef Pot Roast : recommended for arm or chuck. Brown beef over high heat in Dutch oven. Add about 1/2 cup of water, 2-4 carrots, cut up and peeled, 1 -2 peeled potatoes, cut up and one small, peeled whole onion. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours, until tender. Add more water as needed. (You also add wine or beer instead of water.) See the recipe fo Italian Beef in the beef section.
EZ baked round steak with automatic gravy
Put as much round steak as you want to eat into a baking dish. Cut the meat into pieces small enough to fit in the dish. In a bowl, mix 3/4 cup water, 1 package of dried soup mix, one can of cream of musroom soup and one can of cream of celery soup, and pour over the meat. Cover with foil and bake at 325 for about 2 hours, until meat is tender.
Pork Roast: same Beef roast as above, but cook until no pink can be seen when you cut it.
The gravy is not so good, but save the broth to make hash or gravy
Pork Hash : Cut cooked roast pork up into cubes . Peel and cube potatoes to about equal the amount of pork. Combine,the pork, potatoes, and pork broth in a pan. Add a little water and simmer until potatoes are done. Stir from time to time and add more water as needed. You can make beef hash in similar fashion. You may also like to add a carrot or two for color.
Pork roast with vegetables. Add 1 t oil to large sauce pan or dutch oven . Brown the roast on all side over very high heat. Turn heat way down, add 1/4 cup water and 2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered and 3-4 carrots, scaped and cuts into sticks. Cover and cook on simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until meat is done.
If you have any left-over beef or pork roast and do not want to make hash or sandwiches, you can make
Bar-B-Que sandwiches.:
Just slice the meet thinly, add enough of your favorite commerical Barbeque sauce and 1/4 cup water. Stir well , heat to boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer, checking and stirring occasionally. Cook about 20 mintes. If it seems too thin, leave the lid off and boil of fsome of the water, If it is too thick, add more water or sauce.
Teriaki London Broil. (marinate 1 top round steak overnight in commercial teriaki sauce (e.g. LaChoy). Grill about 7 minutes on each side. Cut thinly across the grain.
Italian dressing also make a good marinade. You can grill inside inside, using medium heat on a non-strick griddle or skillet, as well as outside.
Corned beef: boil the beef in water to cover. If it comes with a pack of spices, sprinkle them over the meat. Simmer covered for about 2 hours, or until meat is tender. Add more water, if needed. Leftovers keep a long time and make good sandwiches.
Baked Cornish hens. Salt hens well. Melt 1/2 stick of margarine and pour over the hens in a baking dish. Bake at 325 until the hens are golden brown and are done. (about 45 minutes).
Baste occasionally with the margarine in the bottom of the pan. Use a baster if you have one.: otherwise a spoon.
Sloppy Joes: Brown one pound of ground beef with one medium chopped onion. Pour or spoon off the grease and add one can chicken gumbo soup and 1/4 can of water. Cook, uncovered,
stirring until mixture is thick. Serve over buns.
Basic Pork Chops, cubed pork steaks, or beef cube steaks.
Salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
Cook in about 2 T of shortening, cooking oil or margarine and brown on all sides at medium high temperature. Cover and let simmer for about 1/2 hours. You can eat beef rare if you like,
but cube steaks will likely be tough. Add or milk to the pan dripping to make great gravy .
Breaded Pork Chops (or pork or beef cube steaks)
In a flat bowl, beat one egg with a fork or spoon until the white is well blended with the yolk.Gravy: Let the skillet cool , pour off the grease from the skillet. Add a heaping T of flour or corn starch, stir to mix the flour well with the remaining crumbs, turn up the hear, add 1/2 cup of milk,a little at a time as you stir, until the gravy is thick. Add more milk if too thick. If you want to thicken it, dissolve any flour that you want to addf, in a little cold water before adding it.
Ham and beans : You have to plan ahead here, but it is easy if you do. Wash one pound of dried beans and soak in water to cover, over night. Drain the beans and add about 2 cups of water, and ham or bacon. This is a great way to use a ham hock. You can also use smoked jowl or other bits of ham or bacon. The amount does not matter, but you need enough to give flavor to the beans. Simmer covered for about 2 hours, until beans are done.
Salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bones, if you used a ham hock, and remove any fat. Either serve the meat on the side, or dice it and mix it back with the beans.
Shake-and- Bake chicken and pork . Follow the directions on the box and bake in the toaster oven, if you have one.
EZ Barbeque : Sprinkle salt on chicken pieces, or boneless pork or beef ribs. Bake in toaster oven at 320 for one hour. Brush on your favorite commercial Barbeque sauce and cook for bake for 20 -30 min. more. Serve with additional sauce, if desired.
Frozen Turkey Roll : Follow package direction. Just bake and serve. The kind I buy makes its own gravy. Slice and serve over bread.
Roast Turkey: Turkeys are raised nearby, so we get a lot of specials on turkey. At 50 cents a pound, I can afford to throw away half the bird and still have a cheap source of meat for a week. Provided you have space in you refrigerator and a roaster, it is not at all hard to roast a turkey. You do have to let it thaw and it is hard to speed up the thawing Thaw turkey in refrigerator for at least 60 hours ( presuming it was frozen.) Remove neck and giblets and rinse the turkey under the faucet. Put the turkey in the roaster and sprinkle with salt. Bake uncovered at 325 for 20 minutes per pound, basting with melted margarine every 20 minutes.
Fried Chicken
This was Mom's special Sunday dish. It itakes some practice to learn to , but this is close to what she used to do, and works:
Wash the chicken pieces, pat dry, and sprinkle liberally with salt. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Roll each piece one at a time in a plate of flour, getting as much flour as possible to stick to the chicken.
Melt enough shortening (Mom always used Crisco or Krogo, never vegetable oil ) to fill skillet to depth of about 3/4 inch. Heat at medium until oil is hot, but not smoking. Add the chicken. The oil should bubble when the chicken in added. Add only enough chicken to cover the bottom of the pan. Turn the chicken as needed, trying not to knock off the coating. Cook until it is nicely brown on all sides. (Takes about 5 minutes ). When all is nicely brown, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook, turning occasionally for 40 minutes. Just before serving, turn the heat back to medium high and wait until the oil starts to bubble vigorously again. Remove the chicken from the pan. drain on paper towels and serve at once.
To make gravy, pour off all but about 2 T of grease, add 1 T of flour, mix the flour with the grease, then gradully add 1 cup cold milk. Heat, while stirring constanty until gravy thickens. If gravy is too thick, add more milk and remember to add more flour next time. If it is too thin, adding more flour is tricky: you must first mix with some milk or water. If you add flour directly to hot sauce, you get one big lump with can not be dissolved. Remember this whenever you are thickening any sauce or gravy.
EZ Macaroni and Cheese
Boil macaroni according to package directions. ( about 10 minutes in water to cover.)With hot dogs: Add 2 sliced hot dogs per person along with the cheese soup.
Spaghetti
Cook spaghetti in boiling water , following packages directions. Drain off the water. Brown 1/2 pound ground beef in a skillet, crumbling the meat as it cooks. Drain off the fat and add the meat to a large sauce pan . Add one jar of your favorite commercial spaghetti sauce (I like Paul Newman's) to the meat , stir, and heat to boiling. Serve the sauce over the spaghetti. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with hot buttered French or Italian bread and tossed green salad .
Vegetables
Creamed Peas
Cook the peas, fresh or frozen, in water to cover until tender. Pour off the liquid. Add 3-4 pats of butter. Measure out 1/3 cup of half and half or whole milk. Dissolve 1T flour in the cream and add to the peas. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring until sauce is thick. If sauce is too thick, add more milk. If sauce is too thin, spoon out 2 T of it into a cup and add 1t of floor and stir and then add to the peas. Adding flour to hot sauce makes lumps which you can not dissolve.
Salt and pepper to taste .
Buttered peas
Use fresh, frozen or canned peas. (If cooking fresh peas, throw about 10 of so of the greenest, juiciest pods in with the peas. They add flavor to the broth. Remove the pods before serving.)
Leave about 1/4 cup juice after draining the rest. Add 4 pats of butter and 2 t lemon juice. Stir until butter melts. Salt and pepper to taste.
Green beans with bacon
.Use Krogers or DelMonte's canned cut green beans, blue lake variety. (Frozen green beans do not work well, in my opinion. ) Put one strip bacon in a microwave -safe serving bowl and friy the bacon until is cooked, but not crisp. Cool the bacon and crumble it. Pour the juice from the beans into the bowl with the bacon and grease, and boil until all but about 1/4 cup has evaporated. Add the beans, cover and heat on high for one minute. Salt and pepper and stir.
Spinach - use canned spinach and follow the steps above for green beans. Omit the salt and pepper, but season with 1-2 t vinegar or lemon juice.
Baked Beans
Baked beans used to be common at pot-lucks, but gradually have become scarce. Mom nver made them, so I was happy to find the recipe in the 1989 Southern Living Hometown Collection. It is from Shirley Wildes of Temple, NH.
! pound dried navy beans 1/4 cup plus 2 T firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped bacon or salt pork 1/4 cup chopped onion
3 1/2 cups water 2 t salt
1 cup V-8 vegetable juice 2 t dry mustard
1/2 cup molasses 1/4 t pepper
Sort and wash beans; place in a large dutch oven or casserole dish. Cover with water 2 inches above the beans; let soak 8 hours or overnight. Rinse and drain.
Saute bacon in a skillet until lightly browned; drain. Add bacon, water and remaining ingredients to beans; stir well. Cover and bake at 350 for 5 to 6 hours, adding more water as needed.
Potatoes
It very rarely pays to buy less than 5 pounds of potatoes, even if you have to throw some of them out. Mom believes that red potatoes are definitely the best; I notice little difference.
Fried potatoes. Melt enough shortening in the fry pan, under medium heat, to cover the bottom of the pan to about 3/8 inch. Heat until the shortening is just starting to move a little. If it starts to smoke, it too hot. Add only enough potatoes at a time to cover the bottom of the pan. You may cut the potatoes into strips for French fries or slices for American fries. Really thin slices produce potato chips. Take your choice.
Turn the potatoes frequently and remove them when they are golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Boiled potatoes : Peel potatoes, cut into chunks, cover with water in a sauce pan.
Heat on medium until water boils, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, or partially covered for about 12 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Drain off the water, cover with melted butter and sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsely flakes.
Mashed potatoes : Prepare boiled potatoes as above. After draining, add about 1/2 stick of butter, sliced into thin patties, 1/4 cup of 1/2 &1/2 cream or sour cream, or some of each, sprinkle with salt and pepper and mash with potato masher. Stir vigorously, adding more cream if needed. If potatoes are too soupy, turn up the heat and boil off some of the liquid, stirring the bottom of the pan the whole time. Bacon bits make a nice addition.
Baked potatoes: Wash, but do not peel the potatoes. Put into a small heavy sauce pan , cover and bake, under very low heat for about 40 minutes. Stick a fork into them to check for doneness.
Microwave Potatoes : (not so good, but OK ) Follow the directions in your microwave cookbook, or pierce each clean, unpeeled potato with a fork. Cook for 4 minutes. Turn over and cook for more minutes on high.
Fried Green Tomatoes.
My Mom got this recipe from her mother. It was a family favorite.
Mom served it as a main dish, in place of meat. I think it was billed as a subsitute for egg plant, but I like it much better than egg plant.
1 or 2 green tomatoes. Use the biggest tomatoes you can find that have NOT at all started to ripen.
vegetable shortening (Crisco) - enough to cover the the bottom of the skillet to a depth of about 3/4 inch.
1/2 cup flour salt and pepper
Slice the tomatoes very, very thin and soak them in salted ice water for 10 minutes.
Dredge the tomatoes in flour and prepare to drop them into the preheated skillet. Heat the skillet on the medium setting until the shortening melts and starts to bubble. If it starts to smoke, it is too hot. Turn the tomatoes frequently and fry until they are golden brown, on both sides. You can cook several batches in the same grease. Salt and pepper and serve immediately.
SALADS
Jello Salad
Add one cup boiling water to jello pack. Stir well. Add 1 cup juice from fruit (add water to make a cup if necessary.
Add canned fruit drained ,and/or other ingredients , such as chopped nuts , and finely chopped celery, small marshmallows. If you chill the jello until it almost set before adding the extra stuff,
if will not sink to the bottom.
Combinations that I like:
black cherry jello and dark sweet cherries, optionally with chopped pecans: lime jello and pears: lemon jello and canned fruit cocktail: orange jello and mandarin oranges: peach and canned freestone peaches: strawberry or mixed fruit jello with bananas and/or stravberries.
Pear-Swiss Salad
.From Southern Living. magaizine. The cardamon makes it special.
1/4 cup sour cream 1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/8 t ground cinnamon 1/8 t ground cardamon
1 large can sliced pears, drained 1 cup( 4 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 chopped cashews lettuce leaves (optional)
Combine sour cream, yogurt and spices. Then, add pears, cheese and cashews,
tossing gently to mix. Cover and chill in refrigerator. serve over lettuce, if available.
Appetitizers
Boiled or deviled eggs.
Cook eggs for 10 minutes to hard boil. Cool ,( in ice water, if you are in a hurry) , before cracking and peeling. (Otherwise, much of the egg will stick to the shell.)My version of deviled eggs: cut eggs in two, remove the yolks and mash the yolks with a judicious amount of Kraft's Catalina salad dressing.
Other kinds of salad dressing will work, or you can mix up your own mix of mayonaise, mustard, vinegar, and spices, But be sure to cool the eggs before peeling.
Chicken Waikiki
These appetizers are somewaht tedious to make but are generally a hit.
4 chicken breast halves, skinned and boned
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup dry sherry
3 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 cup fine,dry breadcrumbs (commercially mad bread crumbs)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs beaten
Chutney sauce
Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Combine lemon juice,sherry and Worcester sauce in a medium bowl Add chicken pieces, tossing to coat well and marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 min.
Combine nuts and breadcrumbs . Remove the chicken from the marinade.
Dredge the chicken in flour, dip in egg and dredge in the nut mix.
Place the chicken on lightly greased baking pans and bake at 350 for 25-50 minutes until done. Serve warm with Chutney sauce, which is a mix of 3/4 cup mayonaise, 1/4 cup salad mustard and 3 T of chopped chutney.
Salmon Party Ball
This is a cheap, but tasty spread. The recipe appeared in the Roanoke Times.
1 15 oz can salmon 1 8-oz package cream cheese
1 T lemon juice 2 tsp grated onion
1 t prepared horseradish 1/4 t salt
1/4 liquid smoke 1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 T snipped parsely (If you use dried parsely, soak in water until it is soft and green.)
Drain and flake salmon, removing skin and bones. Combine salmon, cream cheese, lemon,juice, onion, horseradish, salt, and liquid smoke. Mix thorougly. Chill several hours. Combine the nuts and parsely.Shape salmon mix into a ball and roll in the nut mix. Chill well. Serve with assorted crackers.
SOUPS
The soups you will find here are all of the main-dish variety and serve as a meal.
Chili
Chili recipes are easy to find. I make it from memory, but this version is based on one of Jane's recipes. The celery makes it special.
1 - 1 1/2 pounds ground beef 1 green pepper, cored, and cut up
3/4 cup diced celery 2 small cans tomato paste
1 large onion,peeled and minced 4 cups water
2 t sugar 1/4 t black pepper
1 t salt
2 cans chili hot beans( or red beans) 2 t chili powder ( use 4 t if plain beans are used)
Brown the beef in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Drain off the grease. Add the rest
of the ingedients, mix well and bring to a boil under medium high heat, reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring now and then.
Note: Bush's ChiliMagic makes very good chili with no work. Unfortunatelly, it is only available in the Southeast, even though Bush beans are sold nationally.
Chicken Gumbo
The next 2 recipes were based on recipes from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook..
1 small can crabmeat 1 15 1/2 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 t sugar
1/3 cup flour 1/4 cup cooking oil
1.2 cup chopped onion 1/3 cup celery or grenn pepper
2-4 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t ground red pepper 2 cans chicken broth.
1 cup hot water 8 ounces of smoked sausage, quartered lengthwise
and cut into 1/2 inche slices
3/4 -1 1/2 cup of frozen cut okra, thawed 2 bay leaves\
1 whole large chicken breast, skinned and 2 cups cooked white rice
boned, and cut into bite-size pieces/
Cut the flour in the oil in a a big pan for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, Use medium-high
heat. reduce heat to medium and cook 15 minutes more or until the flour mix is dark reddish brown.
Stir in onion and celery/green pepper, garlic,black pepper and red pepper. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until veggies are tender, Stir almost constantly.
Gradually stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes, sugar, hot water,sausage and chicken. Bring to boil, stir well, reduce hear and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves, add okra and simmer for 20 minutes more. Either add the rice to the soup or serve the soup over the
rice.
Manhattan Clam Chowder
2 6 1/2 cans minced clams 3 slices bacon
1 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped onion
1 large (28 oz) can tomatoes, cut up 2 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into
about 1/2 in. cubes
1/2 t dried basil (or majoram) 1/4 t pepper
Drained the clams, reserving the juice. If necessary, add enough water to the clam juice to make 1 1/2 cups liquid. Set aside.
In a large sauce pan, fry bacon u8ntil crisp. Remove the bacon, leaving the grease in the pan. Drain the removed bacon on a paper towel, crumble bacon and set it aside.
Cook celery and onion in the pan with the bacon grease for about 5 minutes, until tender.Drain off the grease. Stir in the clam juice, undrained tomatoes, potatoes, and spices. Bring to boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. The recipe recommends mashing the veggies again the side of the pan. Stir in the clams , bring to boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes more. Serve, topping each bowl with bacon.
Italian Meatball Main-Dish Soup
This hearty soup recipe is from a Campbell's ad.
1/2 -3/4 lb of ground beef. 1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper 1/2 cup diced celery
1 medium clove of garlic, minced 1/4 t Italian seasoning (or basil or oregano)
2 cans bean w/ bacon soup 1 1/2 soup cans water
1 cup cooked macaroni elbows(or rotini or ditalini)
1 8oz can of kidney beans ( or 1/2 of a 16 oz can or the whole can), undrained
1 8oz (or whatever) can of tomatoes, cut up by you, or diced already
2 T chopped parsely.
Season meat with salt and pepper. Shape into meatballs, each about a teaspoonful.
and 1/2 inch across. Brown the meatballs in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Once
there is enough grease, add the onions, celery , garlic and sesonings and cook until
tender over medium low heat, stirring gently and often. (If you are using lean ground
beef, you have to add some more oil, margarine, or shortening to keep the veggies from
sticking.) When the veggies are tender, drain or at least spoon off all the grease that
you can. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Good with toasted Italian bread and Parmesan cheese.
Mutton Broth
This soup is much like Campbell's Scotch broth. The recipe is from The Art of Irish Cooking., by Monica Sheridan. It tastes much like Campbell''s Scotch broth.
1 2-pound neck of lamb ( or other cheaper cuts with bones) 1 cup chopped leeks
8 cups cold water 1 cup chopped onion
2 T pearl barley 1 cup chopped celery
2 t salt 2 clove of garlic, minced
dash of pepper 1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 turnip, chopped
Cut the lamb into pieces to fit into a pot. Cover with water and bring slowly to a boil. Remove the scum that rises to the top, if you like. Add the barley, salt and pepper and simmer gently for 2 hours. Add all the vegetables and simmer for another hour. Remove the meat and bones .
Cut the meat from the bones, chop very finely and add back to the soup. Return soup to a boil.
MEATS
Beef
Creamed chipped beef on Toast
1 2 1/2 oz. package of pressed beef or corned beef (pastrami)
3/8 cup cream or milk 1 T flour (or cornstarch)
1/8 t pepper.
Separate the beef slices , or tear apart. Heat the beef in a sauce pan with all but 2 T of the cream. Sprinkle with the pepper and heat gently for about 5 minutes. Mix the flour with 2 T of milk and add to the beef. Heat and stir until thick. Serve over toast.
Variation: subsitute one can of chicken noodle soup for the beef. ( see above)
Pepperoni Lasagne
Although it takes some time to put this together, it is vitually foolproof. If you do not especially like pepperoni, you could substitute cooked, drained sausage, Itallian or otherwise or just use a little more ground beef.
1.5 lbs of ground beef 1 T dried parsley flakes
1 small oniion, chopped 2 t Italian seasoning
2.5 cups water 1 t salt
1 ( 8 oz) can tomato sauce 1/4 t garlic salt
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste 2 eggs
3 beef bouillion cubes 1 (12 oz) carton small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream 8 lasagne noodles , cooked
1 package ( 3 1/2 oz) sliced pepperoni 2 cups ( 8 oz) of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook Lasagne according to package directions
Cook onion and ground beef together in a skillet until meat is brown. Drain off the grease.
Add water, tomato sauce and paste , bouillion and seasionings to the skillet, cover and simmer
for one-half hour.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine eggs, cottage cheese and sour cream.
In a greased 13 by 9 by 2 inch baking dish, spread about 1/2 cup of meat mix on the bottom of
the disk, then layer with 4 of the noodles, then the cottage cheese mix , the pepperoni, the
other 4 noodles and the rest of the meat sause. Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan on top.
Cover and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more.
Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Note: to use tomato paste, open both ends of the can and use one can lid to push the paste
out of the other end.
Taco Salad
I am not sure where this recipe came from, but it was popular with John and Jane. It makes a balanced meal all by itself.
1 lb ground beef 1 pack taco seasoning mix
shredded lettuce shredded cheddar cheese
1 small can chopped green chili peppers, drained
1 small can sliced ripe olives,drained
1 large tomato, chopped
1 bag of corn chips (e.g. Fritos)
Brown the ground beef, drain off the fat and add the taco seasoning mix and water, according to the directions on the taco mix. Cook until the water dries up. Toss the lettuce,cheese,peppers, tomatoes, and olives together in a large bowl. To serve, spoon the meat over the salad and top
with corn chips. Sprinkle with salsa as desired.
Baked Beef Tortilla
1 lb gound beef 1 pack Taco seasoning mix.
8 flour tortilla 1 cup shredded cheddar
1 cup chopped tomatoes salsa and sour cream (optional)
Brown the ground beef, drain off the fat and add the taco seasoning mix and water, according to the directions on the taco mix. Cook until the water dries up.
Spoon beef,tomatoes and cheese into center of each tortilla, roll up and secure with tooth picks. Bake in greased tin, at 425 for 20 minutes, or until tortillas are brown at the edges and crunchy. Remove tooth picks and top with salsa and sour cream, as desired.
Steak au Poivre (Black Pepper Steak)
This is one of my very favorite dishes. I found the recipe in my Julia Child French Chef Cookbook.
4 (for 4 people) filet mignons (tenderloin steaks), 3/4 inch thick
1 T cracked black pepper
1 T oil for rubbing steaks
1 T oil and 2 T butter for cooking
(for the sauce)
2 T minced green onion
1/2 cup dry white vermouth
1 t cornstarch
1/4 beef bouillion. (Dissolve 1 boullion cube in
1/4 cup boiling water, or use canned bouillion)
2 T butter
Dry steaks thoroughly on paper towels, then rub with a light film of oil. Press about 1/2 t. of pepper into each side of each steak with the heel of your hand. Let steaks sit in the refrigerator
for 2 hours.
Saute steaks in the butter and oil over medium heat until they are done to your taste. They are done to medium rare when they feel slightly resistant to your finger and when a faint pearling juice appears on the top surface. Remove steaks from the skillet. and make the sauce, as follows:
Dissolve the cornstarch in the bouillion. Saute the onion in the butter in the skillet for about 1 minute. Add the wine and bouillion and heat until the gravy is thick, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen the meat residue from the skillet.
*Serve the sauce over the meat. This makes enough sauce for 4 steaks. If you have only 2 steaks, you can use the rest of the sauce on mashed potatoes -- very good!
Filet Mignon with Horseradish Gravy.
Sometimes one can get filet Mignon when it is reduced for rapid sale. One can also buy a whole tenderloin, slice and freeze it yourself an save a lot.
1 (3/4 oz.) pack dry brown gravy mix 2 t prepared horseradish
1 4-oz can sliced mushrooms 2 to 4 (5oz) beef tenderloin steaks
1/4 t salt 1/4 t pepper
optional: tomato wedges and fresh parsely sprigs for garnish.
Prepare gravy according to the package direction. Sitir in the horseradish and mushrooms, and set aside.
Heat a heavy, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. (If you do not have a non-stick pan, spray the bottom with cooking spray before heating.) Add the steaks and cook for one minute on each side. Place the steaks in a lightly greased baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper; pour the gravy over the steaks and bake uncovered for 15 minutes at 350, or until done to your liking. Great with mashed potatoes.
Meat Roll
(from Southern Living's 1988 America's best recipes.) This is my favorite meat-loaf. It has a surprise in the middle.
2 lbs lean ground beef 1/4 t salt
3/4 cup breadcrumbs 1/4 t pepper
1/2 cup of V-8 or tomato juice 1 small clove garlic ,minced
2 eggs, beaten 8 thin slices ham
2 T chopped parsely 1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded mozarella cheese
1/2 t dried oregano 3 slices mozarella (for decoration, mostly)
Combine beef, breadcrumbs,V-8, eggs, parsely,oregano,salt,pepper and garlic. Mix well. Shape into a 12 X 10 patty on a sheet of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Arrange ham slices over the patty, leaving a 1 inch margin at each edge. Top with the shredded mozarella. Beginning at the short end of the beef patty, roll up, in jelly-roll fashion, lifting the plastic wrap to help with the roll-up. Press the edges and ends of the roll to seal in the ham and cheese. Place the roll, seam-side down in a lightly greased 13 X 9 baking dish or pan and bake at 350 for 1 1/4 hours. Cut the sliced cheese into triangles and arrange on top of the meat roll, with edges slightly overlapping.
let stand for 5 minutes and serve.
Beef Paprikesh
I got the recipe from the local paper. It is similar to Hungarian goulash. It serves only 2, but obviously can be multiplied.
3/4 to 1 lb. of sirloin steak 2 T cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped onion 1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 t butter or margarine 1 can beef bouilion soup
1 cup water
2 T sweet Hungarian paprika (ordinary paprika is works for me)
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 1 T flour
1/2 cup (4 oz) of sour cream 1 1/2 t lemon juice
cooked egg noodles to serve 2.
Slice beef into thin strips about 3 inches long. Discard the fat. It may help to chill the beef until it is almost frozen before slicing Brown the beef in 1 T of the oil in a skillet. Remove the beef from the skillet and add the onion and garlic, and saute in the remaining oil and butter, until tender, but not browned. Return the beef to skillet and add the bouilion,water,paprika and mushrooms. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Just before serving, stir the flour into the sour cream and add to the beef mixture. Bring to a boil amd cook, stirring, until thickened. Stir in the lemon juice and serve at once over hot noodles.
Suzie's Sweet and Sour Meat Loaf
(from Southern Living's 1989 hometown recipes.) My favorite plain meat loaf.
2 pounds ground beef 1/4 t pepper
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce 2 beef bouillion cubes
1 1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs 2 cups boiling water
1 egg, beaten 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 medium onion, chopped 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 t salt 1/4 cup prepared mustard
Combine ground beef,1 can of the tomato sauce,breadcrumbs, egg, onion, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well. Shape into an inch long loaf and place in a 13 X 9 X 2 baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes at 350. Drain off the excess fat from the dish. Dissolve the bouilliion cubes in the boiling water, add the other can of tomato sauce, sugar , vinegar and mustard and mix well.
Pour over the meat loaf and bake at 350 for 45 more minutes. Serves 8.
Kidney Bean Hamburger
I found this recipe in Mom's Searchlight magazine cookbook. It won a prize. I got Mom to make it for me. I make it often. The Worchestershire sause is the magic ingredient.
1 lb of ground beef 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped (optional)
1/2 cup catsup 1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water 1 can kidney beans, undrained
1 t sugar 1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper dash of hot sauce (optional)
Brown the ground beef (with the onion) in a large skillet. Drain off the grease.
Stir in the remaining ingredients and cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Green Pepper Steak
This recipe came in the mail, in a advertisement for a cookbook.
1 lb beef (round or chuck) steak. 1/4 cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 t fresh grated ginger, or 1/2 t dried ground ginger
1/4 cup cooking oil 1 cup thinly sliced green onion
1 green pepper, cut into 1 inch squares (remove seeds and stem)
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced 1 T cornstarch
3/4 cup water 1 can tomatoes, drained (save the juice)
Cut the beef into 1/8 inch thick strips, cutting across the grain. (Discard any fat.) Combine the soy sauce, garlic and ginger in a small bowl, mix and mix into the beef. Let the
beef marinate while you cut up the onion,green pepper and celery, at least 15 minutes.
Heat the oil in a skillet and brown the beef. Add any remaining marinade, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until beef is tender. Add the vegetables, turn the heat up to medium low and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring often. Turn down the heat. Mix the water with the corn starch
and reserved tomato juice and add to the beef. Cook and stir until thicked. Slice the tomatoes and add with any juice to the beef. Heat and stir until hot. Serve over white rice .
Gob Gooey (hamburger macaroni)
Another staple at my boyhood home. Ma or Dad used to call it ghoulash, which is a classic Hungarian dish and entirely different, so this dish was renamed "gob gooey:.
I lb ground beef 1 (1 lb) can stewed tomatoes
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni 2 t sugar
1 t salt 1/4 t black pepper
dash of hot sauce (optional) Parmesan cheese (optional)
Brown ground beef in skillet. Drain off the grease. Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Add the tomatoes, drained macaroni,sugar, salt and pepper to the skillet, stir well and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered. Sprinkle Parsesan cheese on top of each serving, if desired.
Chop Suey
This easy dish was a staple with Mom and I still like it and make it often. LaChoy is the only brand of vegetables that I find acceptable.
1 lb ground beef 1 can LaChoy chop suey vegetables, undrained
2 t Soy sauce 1 can chowmein or rice noodles
1 1/2 T cornstarch or flour
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet and drain off the grease. Reserve 1-2 T of liquid from the vegetables in a cup. Add the vegetable and Soy sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.
Mix the cornstarch with the reserved liquid and add to the skillet. Simmer for 2 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Serve over noodles. (You can also serve over rice.)
Creamed chipped beef on Toast
I like this for breakfast.
1 2 1/2 oz. package of pressed beef or corned beef(pastrami)
1/2 cup cream or milk 1 1/2 T flour
1/8 t pepper.
Separate the beef slices and shred if you like. Heat the beef in a sauce pan with all but 2 T of the cream. Sprinkle with the pepper and heat gently for about 5 minutes. Mix the flour with 2 T of milk and add to the beef. Heat and stir until thick. Serve over toast.
Variation: subsitute pressed chicken for the beef.
California Skillet Beef Dinner
I clipped this recipe from the local paper. It is good and easy
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef 1 1/2 cup thin celery slices
1 large onion, chopped 2 T flour
2 t salt 1 t paprika
1/4 t pepper 2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded American cheese 1 large can pitted ripe olives (1 cup)
4 ounces egg noodles, cooked
Lightly brown ground beef, celery, and onion. Drain off the grease.Combine flour, salt, paprika and pepper and sprinkle over the meat mixture. Gradually add the milk and cook slowly 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the cheese, olives and noodles and heat until the mixture starts to bubble.
Easy Beef Burguignon
I made this recipe in an effort to recreate Howard Johnson's dish. I made a few adjustment after I read a standard recipe for this classic French dish.
4 slices bacon, cut into pieces. 2 T flour
1 t dried ground ginger 1 t salt
1/4 t black pepper 1 to 1 1/2 lb. beef cut into 1-inch cubes. (stew beef will work.)
1 (1 lb) jar boiled small onions, undrained 1 4 oz can mushrooms , undrained.
1 can beef bouillion soup 1/2 t sweet basil
1/2 t. oregano 3/8 cup burgundy wine
Fry the bacon in a large skillet. Remove the bacon, but leave the grease. Shake the flour, ginger,salt and pepper in a paper bag until meat is evenly coated. Brown the meat in the skillet, discarding the left-over flour mix. Drain the onions and mushroom juice into the skillet with the meat. Add the bouillion, cover and simmer until the meat is tender. (Stir occasionally and add a little water if meat is starting to stick to the pan.) Add the wine,onions, mushrooms and oregano. Bring to a boil ,and simmer for about 10 minutes longer, after stirring well. Serve over hot cooked egg noodles.
Italian Beef
This is a very tasty way to fix cheap beef-- makes great sandwiches.
1 chuck roast 1 1/2 t salt 1 1/2 cups water 1 1/2 t dried oregano
6 cloves garlic(crushed) 1 t dried red pepper 2 bay leaves 2 T basil 1/2 t garlic powder
Place roast in Dutch oven or large sauce pan. Combine all other ingedients, mix well and add to roast. Bring to full boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours. Let cool. Cover and chilll in fridge. Cut into very thin slices, return beef to broth and heat thorougly. (remove bay leaves before serving.) You can skip the chilling and eat the meat at once if you are hungry. Great on sub rolls. I like pickled hot green peppers on these sandwiches.
Burger Buns (or bun burgers)
This recipe was in a child's cookbook that somebody gave Carol. It became a Helm family favorite.
1 lb lean ground beef 1/4 cup catsup
3/4 t salt 1/4 t pepper
6-8 slices of American cheese (optional) 6-8 hamburger buns
Mix ingredients thoroughly . Place the bottom part of each bun on a greased baking sheet and spread the beef mixture evenly over each of the bun bottoms. Broil (top brown) for 8 minutes. Add the cheese, if desired and broil for one additional minute. Remove from oven
place the tops of each bun over the burgers and serve.
Variation: subsitute mustard for catsup or use both.
African Style Beef Stew
I found the recipe in the local paper. It a different kind of beef stew which most people seem to like. Unfortunately, you have to remember to start some 4 hours before dinner time.
1/3 - 1 lb of beef stem meat, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1 small can (8 oz) tomatoes
2 T lemon juice 1 t chili powder
1/4 t cumin 2 T peanut (or other vegetable) oil
1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup beef bouillion
1/8 t dried red peppers 1/2 t salt
1 15-oz can red beans 1 10-oz package of frozen okra, thawed.
1 cup chopped fresh (or thawed, frozen) spinach
Drain and coarsely chop the tomatoes, saving the juice. Combine 2 T of the tomato juice and the lemon juice and pour over the beef. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours. Drain beef and pat dry with paper towel. Combine the cumin and chili powder and toss with the beef cubes in a bag
or large bowl. Brown the beef in the oil in a skillet. Remove the beef from the skillet, add the onion and cook it until soft. Return the beef to the skillet and add the tomatoes, with the juice, the bouillion, red pepper, and salt. Cover and simmer 40 minutes, until beef is tender. Shortly before serving, stir in the beans and okra and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook 2 minutes. If you overcook okra, it becomes slimy and not so good. Serve with rice.
Pot-au-feu Piquant (Pepper Pot Beef)
This favorite of mine is from my French cookbook.
4 T flour Sauce:
1/8 t black pepper 2 t. chili sauce
1/2 t ground ginger 1 small can of tomatoes(or stewed
tomatoes.) undrained.
1/4-1/2 lbs fresh mushrooms
1 1/2- 2 lbs of stew beef, cut into bite-size cubes 1 T Worchestershire sauce
2 oz. bacon grease (or cooking oil or shortening) 2 T brown sugar
1/2 - 1 small hot pepper, seeded 2T wine vinegar
1 15 oz can of red kidney beans 2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bay leaf
Put flour, salt, pepper and ginger into a plastic or smallish paper bag and shake with meat until the meat is well coated. Heat the grease in a skillet, add the meat and brown on all sides. Drain the beef on paper towels. Put the beef into a 3 pint baking disk or pot.
Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and pour over the beef. If you used whole tomatoes, cut them into quarters. Cover and cook at 325 for about 2 hours or until the beef is tender. Add the bean and hot pepper and cook 30 minutes more. If you do not have have a baking dish with a lid, you can use aluminum foil to cover it. Adjust the amount of hot pepper to suit your taste. A later cookbook had the same recipe without the hot pepper.
Baked Spaghetti
I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine. It freezes well.
1 cup chpped onion
1 green pepper chopped
1 large (28 oz) can of tomatoes , cut -up, with liquid.
1 4-oz can of mushrooms, drained
1 ( 2 1/4 oz.) can of sliced ripe olives, drained
2 t dried oregano
1 pound ground beef
12 oz. spaghetti , cooked and drained
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup (do not add water)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook the beef, onion and peppers together until the meat is browned and the vegetables are tender. Drain off the grease and add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and oregano. Simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes. Place 1/2 of the cooked spaghetti into a 13 by 9 by 2" baking dish. Top with half of the sauce. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat with the rest of the spaghetti, then the rest of the sauce and then the cheese. Mix the soup and water until smooth and pour over the top of the casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes. (Serves 12)
Note: the author says that the meat can be left out. If you do, saute the onion and peppers in
1 T of butter or margarine.
Flank Steak Broil
I make this every 3 weeks or so. The celery seeds make it special. It was reprinted from
Con Mucho Gusto by the 1990 Southern Living Home town Collection.
1 1/2 pound of flank steak
2/3 cup of catsup
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup lemon juice (reconsituted is fine)
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t celery seeds
1 bay leaf
1/2 t coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 t dried whole basil , crushed
generous dash of hot red pepper sauce.
Score the steak against the grain at 3/4 intervals on both sides. Place meet in shallow<
dish and set aside. Combine the other ingredients in a bowl, mix well and pour over
the meat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 8 hours, turning at least once.
Remove the meat from the marinade and grill the steak on the grill for about 5 minutes
on each side. To serve, cut the meat diagonnally across the grain into thin slices.
Remove the bay leaf from the marinade, boil for 5 minutes and serve with the steak. (I cut the steak into 2 pieces and grill just one piece per night, leaving the rest in the marinade.)
(Another ) Grilled Flank Steak
An Oriental type of marinate steak that I like on occasion. from 1991 S.L. collection.
one flank steak
1/3 cup dry sherry 2 t coarse-grained Dijon mustard
1/3 cup soy sauce 1 t peeled, chopped fresh ginger root
2 T chopped green onions 1 T cracked black pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl to make the marinade.
Score the steak 1/4 inch deep on both sides and marinate it in the refrigerator for at
least 8 hours. Remove the steak from the marinade and broil it to taste. Discard the marinade.
Serve with the following Sherry-Mustard sauce, if desired:
1 8-oz carton plain low-fat yogurt 2 T dry sherry
2 T finely chopped green onion 2 t coarse-grained Dijon mustard
pinch (1/8 t) of salt.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well , cover and chill for one hour.
Moving Day Casserole
These next two recipes are similar, yet not alike. Both came for Southern Living Cookbooks.
Both freeze well and keep well. It is also similar in taste to most lasagne recipes.
1 (12-oz) package of medium egg noodles, coooked according to package directions.
1 pound ground beef
2 (8-oz.) cans of tomato sauce
3/4 cup beer (flat is fine-- hence the name of the dish)
1 t salt
1/2 dried whole oregano (oregano leaves will be OK )
dash of hot red pepper sauce
1 ( 8 oz) package of creamed cheese, softened
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped green peppers
Cook and drain the noodles and set aside.
Brown beef in a large skillet, spoon off the grease , add the next 5 ingredients and stir well.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Combine the cheeses and green pepper in a large bowl and mix well. (To soften the cream cheese, unwrap and put into a saucer and let it sit out for awhile. If you are in a hurry nuke in the microwave on very low setting for 30-second intervals until soft.)
Put half the cooked noodles into a 3-quart, ungreased, shallow baking dish.
Top with the cream cheese mix and then put the rest of the noodles on top the cheese.
Spoon the meat sauce over the noodles. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes (uncovered)
Beef Bonaparte
From 1991 Southern Living Collection, from Rebel Recipes, U. of Miss Home Ec. Dept.
1 pound ground beef 5 oz fine egg noodles
1 (16-oz) can chopped tomatoes, undrained 8-oz sour cream
8 oz tomato juice or V-8 3-oz pack of cream cheese, softened
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
4- 6 green onions, chopped
2 t garlic juice 1 cup (4 oz) of shreddedCheddar cheese
2 t sugar 2 cups (8 oz) of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cracked black pepper
dash of hot sauce
1 bay leaf (optional)
Pastor Pete's Enchiladas
From the 1991 S. L collection, taken from Evangelical Lutheran of Springfield Ill, Peter Thomson, pastor.
1 pound ground beef 1/8 t pepper
2 cups ( 8 oz ) shredded Cheddar 1 cup water
3 (8-oz) cans of tomato sauce
1/4 cup sliced green onions 2 cloves garlic, crushed
8-oz carton sour cream 1/2 t dried whole oregano
1 t dried parsley flakes 1/8 ground cumin
1/2 salt 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
Cook beef in a large skillet and drain. Add 3/4 cup of the cheese, green onions,
sour cream, parsely, salt and pepper and stir well. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
Combine the tomato sauce, water and the next 3 ingredients in a medium sauce pan. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes.
Spoon about 1/4 cup beef mixture over each tortilla; roll each one tightly and place in the 13 X 9 X 2-inch baking disk, seam side down. Pour the tomato sauce mix over the tortillas in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/4 cup of cheese and bake, uncovered at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes. (Serves 4 )
Roulades of Beef with Crabmeat Stuffing
This is a company disk which is special, but not extremely expensive. The crabmeat does not really taste like crabmeat, to me, but gives a special flavor to the beef.
2 (1-pound) sirloin steaks, 1/2 inch thick 1 can beef boullion soup
1 large egg, beaten 3/4 cup Chablis or other dry white wine
1/4 cup tomato juice 1 T chopped fresh parsely
1 T lemon juice 1 clove garlic
1/4 t salt 1 bay leaf
1/4 t Worcestershire sauce 1 t salt
1 (6-oz. ) can crabmeat, drained 1 cup small fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs 1 T butter melted
1 T chopped fresh parsely 1 T cornstarch
1/8 cup butter, melted 1/6 cup cold water
Hot cooked wild rice
Trim the fat from the steaks. Place the steaks between 2 sheets of wax paper and flatten
them to 1/8 inches in thickness, using a meat mallet and/or a rolling pin. I pound the
meat first and over with wax paper and roll. Cut each steak into 6 rectangles.
Combine the beaten egg with the next 4 ingredients, stir well. Stir in crabmeat,
breadcrumbs and and 1 T parsely. Place a rounded T of crab mix on top of each of the steak
pieces. If you have crabmix left over, try to distribute it evenly among the steak pieces.
Starting at the short sides, roll up each steak piece and secure with toothpicks.
Brown the steak pieces , one or two at a time, in butter, in the skillet. Handle and turn
carefully; you do not want to knock the filling out . Remove the browned steak pieces to
a 13 X 9 X 2 -inch greased baking dish.
Add the beef boullion and the next 5 ingredients to the dripping in the skillet. Bring to a boil,
while scraping the bottom of the pan to remove particles which are sticking to the bottom.
Pour this sauce over the steaks in the baking dish. Cover and bake at 1 1/2 hours or until
tender. Remove meat to a serving platter , remove the toothpicks and keep warm.
Saute mushroom in butter in a skillet until tender. Add the broth from the meat cooking dish to the mushrooms. Combine the water and cornstarch and gradually stir into the
mushrooms on the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Spoon over the
steaks in the platter and serve with hot wild rice.
Jalapeno-and-Beer Baked Short Ribs
The is not much meat on ribs, but there is, is very tasty. This is by far my favorite water to cook beef ribs.
4 pounds beef ribs 2 cloves garlic
1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 1/2 t chopped green pepper -- (optional, in my opinion)
1 1/4 cups tomato sauce 1/2 T dry mustard
1/8 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 1/2 t ground red pepper
1/8 cup seeded and finely chopped jalapeno peppers 1/8 t ground cinnamon
1/8 cup red wine vinegar 1/8 t ground cloves
1 cup beer
Place ribs in roasting pan and place chopped onion around the ribs.
Combine tomato sauce and the next 9 ingredients in a large sauce pan, stir well, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Stir in beer.
Pour sauce over the ribs. Cover and bake at 425 for 2 1/2 hours or until ribs are tender.
PORK
Algerian Pork
My friend Guy Hochgesang gave me this recipe. The spices make a crunchy coating for the meat.
3 pounds boneless pork cut into 1" cubes.
(butt roast is good and cheap, but tenderloin will do)
3/4 t salt 1/8 t pepper
1 T coriander 1 T cumin
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil 1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup soy sauce 1 T brown sugar
1 t monosodium glutamate (MSG) 1/4 t ginger
MIx the salt,pepper,, coriander and cumin with the oil and stir in the meat. Let stand for 20 minutes. MIx the remaining ingredients to make a marinade and marinate the meat for at least 4 hours.
Broil on skewers on the grill for 15 minutes or until cooked, turning and checking often.
Super Beanie Weenie
1 # hotdogs, cut into thirds 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 2 1# cans baked beans (or pork and beans)
1 13 1/2 can pineapple chunks,drained 1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 t dry mustard 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Saute the hotdogs and onions in a large sauce pan, skillet or Dutch Oven until dogs start to brown and onions are translucent.Use medium low heat and stir onion to outside of pan to let the dogs touch the bottom of the pan.
Spoon any pieces of pork out of the beans and add them, the Worcestshire, pineapple and mustard to the pan. Mix well, stirring carefully to avoid mashing any beans. Simmer, uncovered for about 20 minutes: stir in the parsely and serve.
Pigs in a Blankets
( a misnomer -- the standard pigs in a blanket dish has sausage in the middle of biscuit
dough - but that was Mom's name for this dish. She got it from friends at church.)
8 slices bacon 8 slices of white bread
8 thick slices of American cheese.
Cut the cheese up into narrow strips and put into the center of the bread. Roll the bread up around the cheese. Roll a strip of bacon around the outside of the bread and secure with tooth picks. Broil in the oven until bacon is done - about 7 minutes. You may want to turn them once. Timing is critical here- you don't want to burn the bread, although burnt ends are no big problem and you must cook the bacon.
Red Pepper Spice Pork
I found this recipe in the local paper. Dad seems to like it especially. The chicken broth is my idea; the recipe called for water and callled for fresh pineapple and red peppers.
1 large can pineapple chunks, unsweetened or 1/2 fresh pineapple
1 to 1 1/2 lb boneless pork loin cubes
1 t cooking oil 1 medium onion,sliced
1 minced garlic clove 1 can chicken broth 1/2 can water
1/2 salt 1 t pickling spices
1/8 t black ground pepper
1 sweet red or green pepper, seeded and cut into strips 2 T corn starch
If fresh pineapple is used, peel it, core it and dice it, saving as much juice as possible.
Brown the meat in the oil in a large skillet. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Stir in the chicken broth, water, pinapple (undrained), salt, and spices. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Spoon 2 T of the liquid from the pan into a cup and mix with cornstarch.
Add the starch to the skillet. Add the sweet pepper slices and cook under low heat and frequent stirring, until the peppers are tender and sauce in thickened. Serve over hot egg noodles, cooked according to package directions. Note: red peppers give color, but are much more expensive, so I use green unless red is on sale.
Chicken
Chicken with Chipped Beef, Bacon and Mushroom Soup
I got this recipe from INTERNET. It is easy and cheap but it must be started a day early
.4-8 split or whole chicken breasts
4 oz. chipped beef
8 slices bacon
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup (8oz carton) sour cream
Cut chipped beef into 2" strips and place into bottom of baking pan.
Wrap bacon strips around the chicken pieces and put into baking pan.
Mix soup and sour cream in a smallish bowl and pour over the chicken.
Cover tightly and refrigerate over night.
Bake at 275 , uncovered , for 3 hours.
Company Chicken
I got his recipe from the Roanoke Times. It won 2nd place in their cooking contest. It is similar to the dish just above, but a little better, I think.
4 split, boneless chicken breasts 2 cups dressing mix e.g. StoveTop stuffing.)
4 slices of cheese, halved (Any kind will work, but I like a white cheese such Swiss or Mozarella)
1 pkg of dried beef. ( You can use chipped beef,
but if you will need to add salt if you do.)
1 can cream of mushrom soup 1 cup of sour cream
Pound the chicken pieces flat with a kitchen hammer or roll them with a rolling pan. Divide the beef evenly among the chicken pieces and arrange over the chicken.
Put a piece
of cheese over each piece of chicken and place about 1/4 cup of dressing mix over the cheese on the chicken pieces. Roll up the chicken pieces with the beef,chicken and dressing mix on the inside and secure with toothpicks. Arrange the rolled chicken pieces in a greased baking dish.
Mix the soup and sour cream and pour over the chicken.
Bake at 350 degrees covered for 2 hours.
Israeli Chicken
Another winning recipe from the Roanoke Times .
I chicken quartered (or cut-up) (If you can get a cheap whole chicken, cut it yourself.)
2 T vegetable oil
1 small can frozen orange juice concentrate, with water added to make one cup.
1 small jar stuffed green olives , sliced, or salad olives 1 small can ripe olives
1 medium onion , peeled and cut into rings 1 T brown sugar
1/4 cup butter 1 t thyme
1 t paprika 1 t salt
Oil the chicken piece and broil until browm. ( You can broil in oven or pan-broil in a skillet.) Put the chicken in a baking pan, if you did not broil in a baking pan.
[Warning: I learned the hard way not to oven broil in a glass baking pan-- they tend to break.
You need a metal broiling pan. ] Combine the orange juice and the next 9 ingredients in sauce pan , simmer for 4 minutes and pour over the chicken. Bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour, 45 minutes. Baste every 25 minutes.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
I
got this recipe from the Roanoke Times cooking contest issue. Jane liked it enough that she recommended it to the wife of a VP when she had a dinner party for our president. The dish was successful.
1 8 or 12 oz. can of pineapple chunks, in heavy syrup, if possible.
2 lbs. of chicken breast meat 2 T margarine
1 can chicken bouillon 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (or about 3/4 cup loosely packed)
2 T cornstarch 1/4 cup vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1 medium onion, peeled, and sliced into thin rings
1 green pepper, with core removed and cut into strips
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, drained and sliced (optional)
Drain pineapple, saving the juice in a small mixing bowl. Bone the chicken and cut into bite-size pieces. Saute the chicken and onions in the margarine (in a large skillet), until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the bouillion and the carrots, cover and simmer until the carrots are tender. (about 1/2 hour.) Add the peppers and pineapples and cook for about 15 min. Meanwhile, in the mixing bowl, combine the pineapple juice,brown sugar, vinegar, Soy sauce, and corn starch, and add to the chicken. Bring to a boil and cook about one minute, stirring frequently. Serve over white rice.
Chicken Piccata
A tasty chicken dish from the S.L. 1992 collection. The capers make it special. It
is similar to the more famous Veal piccata.
1/2 cup all-purpose flours 1 clove garlic
1 t salt 2 T vegetable oil
1/2 t pepper 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
8 chicken breast halves, boned 1/4 cup lemon juice
2 T butter 1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup chopped onion 2 t capers, undrained
Combine flour, salt and pepper: stir well. Dredge chicken in flour mixture.
You may wish to just sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and then dredge in plain flour. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove chicken , set aside and keep warm.
Saute onion and garlic in oil in skillet until tender. Add mushrooms and saute 2 minutes or until tender. Add chicken, lemon juice,sherry and capers. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes or until chicken in done.
Veal Piccata : Use 1 1/2 pound of veal cutlets. Pound the veal until it is 1/4 inch thick.
Follow the recipe above, but leave out the onions; use 2 cloves of garlic, only 2T of lemon juice, and use 1/2 cup of chablis instead of sherry. Simmer about 20 minutes in the wine before adding the capers. Simmer for one minute more after the capers are added.
Wedding Day Chicken Supreme
This recipe was big winner in the Roanoke Times, cooking contest. It is cheap and very good, but requires considerable work the day before. You need to boil a large chicken until the meat falls off the bones. (Save the broth for other things.)
6-9 white bread slices 4 cups of cooked chicken ( boil a chicken.)
1/2 lb. of fresh mushrooms,drained and sliced
1 8-oz can water chestnuts, sliced 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup sharp cheddar ,sliced and crumbled
4 eggs, well beaten 2 cups milk
1 t salt 1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup 1 large jar pimentoes
2 cups buttered bread crumbs .
(Make about 4 pieces of toast, butter it well, and crumble it.)
Line a 10x14 greased baking dish with the bread. Top with cooked chicken.
Slice the mushrooms , and cook in butter in a skillet for 5 min.
Add the water chestnuts,stir and pour over chicken. Dot with mayonnaise.
Mix soups and pimento in a mixing bowl and spoon over the chicken.
Cover with foil and refrigerate over night.
Bake, uncovered, at 350, for 1 1/4 hours. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the buttered bread crumbs. Bake for 15 minutes more. let stand for 15 minutes or more before serving.
_
Sea Food
Salmon Loaf
We had this often at home and I still make it often.
1 (14.5 oz) can salmon 6-8 slices white bread
3/4 stick butter (melted) 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs slightly beaten 8 saltine crackers, crushed
1 t onion salt 1/4 t black pepper
In a greased, oven-safe mixing bowl or baking dish add the salmon, drained or not, according to taste.
Flake the salmon with a fork and pick out the bones and skin, if you like. Break the bread up into small pieces and mix it, the eggs,butter, milk ,salt, pepper,and salmon together. If mix is too soupy, add another slice of bread. if mix to too dry, add more milk.Opening Night "Show-Off"
A great company dish for anyone who likes shimp. From the 1990 Southern Living Collection
1 1/2 pounds of medium size shrimp, unpeeled. 3-4 oz. of vermicelli
1/4 cup of butter or margarine 1/4 cup flour
1 can chicken broth 1/2 cup whipping cream
2/3 cup of shredded Swiss cheese 1/4 cup dry sherry
1/8 t ground white pepper 1 4-oz can sliced mushroom,drained
1/8-1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated 2 oz of slivered almonds.
Bring about 4 cups of water to boil in a large pan. Add the shrimp and cook for 4 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, chill, peel and devein. set aside.
Cook vermicelli according to package directions, drain in a collander and set aside. Spoon mixture into a baking dish. Cover and bake at 300 for 20 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle with almonds and Parmesan cheese, and broil 6 inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes until almonds are lightly toasted.
(You can skip this last step, but it is a nice touch.
Cheese Grits
I got this recipe from the local paper.
1 cup grits, cooked according to package directions 1/4 t white pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper pinch of nutmeg (optional)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 2 T butter
As soon as grits are cooked, add the remaining ingredients and stir until smooth.
Shrimp Grits
( a great dish, I think)
1 pound medium size shrimp, peeled 6 slices bacon
1 T peanut oil (or other cooking oil) 2 cups fresh white mushrooms
1 cup sliced green onions 1 clove garlic, crushed
4 t lemon juice dash of hot pepper sauce
2 T chopped parsley salt and pepper to taste
1 recipe of cheese grits (above)
Rinse shrimp and pat dry on paper towel.
Dice bacon and brown lightly in large skillet. Drain bacon and set aside.
Add enough oil to cover bottom of pan with a thin layer and heat the skillet at medium plus until oil is quite hot. Add the shrimp and mushrooms, and cook until shrimp is pink and mushrooms are tender (About 5 minutes.)
Add the onions and bacon: stir : then add the garlic,lemon juice, parsley and hot sauce.
To serve, spoon the shrimp mixture over the grits.
(serves 4)
Parmesan Noodle Casserole
My favorite tuna-noodle casserole, from the local newspaper.
4 oz egg noodles (or spinach noodles) 1 chopped onion
2 T water 1 can cream of mushroom soup
5 oz can of evaporated milk 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 6 1/2 oz can of tuna, drained 2 t lemon juice
4 oz can of sliced mushrooms ,drained 2 oz jar of pimentoes, drained
Boil onion in the water in the microwave, covered loosely until tender (about 1 min.).
Cook noodles according to package direction. Drain.
Combine all the ingredients but the cheese, in a lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
Bake covered at 340 for 40 minutes.
Tuna Green Bean Casserole
John Barham would not eat this, so it is not for everyone, but I really like it once in awhile. I found the recipe in the local paper.
2 cups drained, canned or cooked fresh green beans. 1 small can of tomatoes,drained,cut up
2 cans (6 1/2 oz. ) of tuna,drained and flaked 1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 1/3 cup flour
1 t salt 1/8 t pepper
3/4 t dried thyme 3/4 cup milk
1 cup cottage cheese, drained in a sieve 1/4 cup sliced stuffed green olives
1/2 cup grated swiss cheese.
In buttered 1 1/2 quart casserole dish, alternate layers of green beans, tomatoes and flaked tuna. Cook onion in the butter in a sauce pan for about 5 minutes over medium
low heat. Stir in flour and seasonings. Gradually add milk, stirring and cooking until thickened.
Add the cottage cheese and olives. Pour all over the beans and tuna in the casserole dish.
Sprinkle the Swiss cheese on top and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, uncovered.