Best Fruit Salad

Cut into bite-size pieces:

Kiwis
Bananas

Add:

Frozen raspberries
Whole grapes (we like red or purple)

Mix it all together and let it sit for a few minutes. The frozen raspberries will thaw while cooling the other fruits to a pleasant temperature. The salad will be delicious.

Peck of Pickled Peppers

1. Buy a jar of pickles (I think Claussen works best)
2. Eat them
3. Cut fresh cucumbers and other vegetables (like peppers) and put them in the brine
4. refrigerate overnight
5. enjoy!

The brine is usually good for about two batches of pickles, more if you add salt and vinegar. They're incredibly crisp and tasty.

Houmus mac and cheese

Another mac and cheese-type dish. We use a box of the small shell pasta and this sauce (measurements are approximate since we just make it to taste in true Neinerschts fashion):

1/4 cup houmus
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup cold water
1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Put cold water and flour in a sealed jar and shake until smooth. Warm milk on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup houmus. Continue to stir. when mixture is close to boiling, add water and flour combination; simmer for one minute. Stir in cheese and lemon juice and pour over pasta.

We usually add frozen baby peas too - at the very end so they don't get overcooked. any type of vegetable would work. I also like to add about 1/4 cup of pureed carrots (I'm lazy and buy the baby food version) - the sweetness of the carrots goes nicely with the houmus.

Pasta, Cheese, and Vegetables

I picked this easy recipe up from James while I was out in Maryland. It’s like Macaroni and Cheese, except quicker than the homemade version, cheaper than the boxed version, and healthier than either.

Cook pasta

Cook mixed vegetables

I use about equal amounts of vegetables and pasta, and as my father’s daughter I cook them all at once in the same pot (I add the vegetables a few minutes after the pasta so they don’t overcook) but James cooks the veggies in the microwave while boiling pasta on the stove.

While these are cooking, grate some sharp cheddar cheese.

Strain pasta and vegetables and mix them together with the cheese while they are still hot. Add salt and seasoning to taste—I like Mrs. Dash original seasoning, but James had some delicious ones as well.

Add ins:

A little buttermilk or sour cream will make it creamier, a dash of maple syrup is delicious (don’t ask me how I know), and while I’m not eager to try it myself I’m sure some chopped up ham or other meat would be just fine in this as well.

I am eating this meal as I type and it is delicious.

Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:

2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. pumpkin
2 c. chocolate chips

Beat butter, sugar and eggs till fluffy. Beat in pumpkin. Then beat in dry ingredients just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonfuls, two inches apart, onto greased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 F, 12-15 minutes, or until golden. Makes about 3-1/2 dozen.

German Apple Pancake

Ingredients:

½ cup milk
½ cup flour
3 eggs
1 tsp sugar
Dash salt

Slice a large (peeled) apple and saute in a cast-iron skillet. Swirl the butter around the sides and bottom of the pan. Pour the batter over the apples and bake in a pre-heated oven at 500°. When pancake raises and is nearly done, powder with cinnamon sugar and dot with butter. Return to oven until brown. Remove and sprinkle with juice of lemon and confectioner’s sugar. Serves 4-6 for main course; 6-8 for dessert.

Whole Wheat Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup sifted whole wheat flour
½ cup raw sugar
1 ¼ cups (10-12) egg whites
¼ tsp salt
1 ¼ tsp cream of tartar
1 cup raw sugar (sifted)
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp almond extract

Sift flour and ½ cup sugar 4 times. Beat egg whites and salt with wire whisk (not mixer) until foamy. Sprinkle in cream of tartar and beat until egg whites are stiff enough to hold up in soft peaks, but are still moist and glossy.
Add remaining cup of sugar in 4 additions, sprinkle over egg whites, beating 25 strokes or turns of beater each time. After last addition use 10-20 additional fold-over strokes.

Turn batter into ungreased angel food pan. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350°-375°. Invert pan and cool thoroughly before removing.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground nutmeg if desired
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
½ tsp vanilla
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

Soften butter, cream with sugar, baking powder, and nutmeg. Add egg, milk, and vanilla followed by flour. Divide dough in half and roll out to ¼-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters or knife, re-rolling dough as necessary. Place dough in refrigerator to chill if it begins to soften. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet; bake 8-10 minutes at 375°.

Congo Squares

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups brown sugar
¾ cups butter (melted)
3 eggs
2 ½ tsp baking powder (Catherine puts in 2 tsp instead)
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
3 cups flour
12 oz. package chocolate chips

Mix everything together, flatten on a cookie sheet, bake at 350° 25-30 minutes. Cut and remove from pan while hot.

Upside-down Chocolate Pudding Cake

This cake inspired the younger half of the family so much that they even composed an anthem in its honor, titled “Upside-down chocolate pudding cake for breakfast”:
Upside-down chocolate pudding cake for breakfast,
Upside-down chocolate pudding cake for lunch,
Upside-down chocolate pudding cake for dinner,
Upside-down chocolate pudding cake for brunch!
Upside-down chocolate pudding cake
It tastes so good, it really does!
Upside-down chocolate pudding cake
For breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch,
It tastes so good, oh yes, it really does!

Consider increasing the cocoa in this recipe.

Ingredients:

½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup milk
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ cup boiling water

Turn on oven to 350°. Put flour, the ¼ cup sugar, the 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl; stir until well mixed.

Add milk, butter, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Pour batter into ungreased 1-qt casserole dish.

Put ½ cup sugar and 2 Tbsp cocoa powder in a small mixing bowl; gradually stir in boiling water. Pour evenly over batter in casserole dish.

Put casserole dish in oven. Bake ~30 minutes (until toothpick comes clean). Cool 20-30 minutes before serving.

Hot Fudge Sauce

from the Better than Store-Bought cookbook

¾ stick (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter
6 oz. (6 squares) unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

Combine the butter and chocolate in a heavy saucepan and stir over low heat until melted. Stir in the water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt.

Turn the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring. Boil the sauce gently, without stirring, for about 8 to 9 minutes, or until it is thickened and smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract and serve hot. (Or you may store it in the refrigerator for months) (as if it would last that long).

TO REHEAT: Set the jar in a saucepan of cold water. Bring water slowly to a simmer, stirring the sauce until it is hot enough.

Wagon Wheels

Beat:
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Blend in:
½ cup butter
6 Tbsp cocoa

Sift in:
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 cups flour

Add ½ cup chopped nuts if desired

Refrigerate for 2 hours. Shape into balls. Roll in powdered sugar and bake at 350° for 10 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet

Christmas Punch

Ingredients:

6 quarts water
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. whole cloves
Boil 10 minutes
Add:
1 pint lemon juice
1 large can frozen orange juice
3 cups sugar

Simmer.
Makes 8 quarts

Cinnamon Rolls and Glaze

Cinnamon Rolls

Bread dough
Cinnamon
Brown sugar (white sugar also works)
Butter
Raisins (optional)
Nuts (optional)

Roll out bread dough, spread butter over. Sprinkle on cinnamon and sugar along with raisins and nuts if desired. Roll dough and slice into 1-2 inch pieces; place on greased cookie sheet.

Cinnamon Roll Glaze

Butter
Milk
Vanilla
Powdered sugar

Start with a little butter (1-2Tbsp.), mix with powdered sugar and a little vanilla. Add milk and keep alternating milk and powdered sugar until desired amount has been made

Lemon Custard

Ingredients:

3 eggs, separated
1/3 cup flour
1 ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 lemon
¾ cup sugar
1 Tbsp. melted butter

Beat egg yolks till light and fluffy, add lemon juice, grated lemon tind, sugar, flour, milk, and butter, beating after each ingredient. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks, stir in. Pour into 1 ½ quart casserole, set in pan of water and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Fudge Brownies

Ingredients:

½ cup butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
¾ cup sifted all-purpose flour
½ cup chopped walnuts

In medium saucepan melt butter and chocolate. Remove from heat; stir in sugar. Blend in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Stir in flour and nuts; mix well. Spread in greased 8*8*2-inch pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. Cool. Cut into 16 squares.

Hot Water Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

½ cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
½ cup milk
½ tsp. salt
2 cups flour
½ cup cocoa
2 tsp. soda
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp. vanilla

After batter is beaten add boiling water and vanilla. Grease pans well. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups butter (1 lb.)
2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. soda
3 cups chocolate chips
2 cups chopped nuts
6 cups flour

Add ingredients one at a time and beat well after each addition. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Ma's Rice Pancakes

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 cups water
1 ½ cups + 2 Tbsp rice flour
1 tsp salt

Beat eggs lightly, mix in water and salt. Add flour gradually while beating to keep smooth. Let sit for 15 min - 1 hour. Heat a frying pan (it should be fairly hot), put a little butter/oil in. Stir batter well before each pancake and pour enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan (they should be like swedish pancakes/crepes). Cook until slighty brown, flip over and cook until done (second side should not turn brown). Oil/butter pan between pancakes if needed.

They can be eaten with a variety of toppings for dinner or any other meal. Serve how ever you like and enjoy.

Enna's Choc. Chip Oatmeal cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 3/4 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 11.5 oz package chocolate chips

STEPS:

1. Cream butter and sugar together
2. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until smooth
3. Mix in baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg
4. Add flour
5. Add oats
6. Stir in chocolate chips
7. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes

Makes about four dozen cookies. The dough towards the end is VERY thick, you’ll need a good wooden spoon to mix it.

Oatmeal Cake

Ingredients:

1 cube butter
1 ¼ cups quick oatmeal
1 ¼ cups boiling water
Pour water over oatmeal and butter. Let sit for 20 minutes before adding:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cups flour
2 eggs well beaten
2 tsp vanilla
Bake at 375° for 35 minutes in a 9*13-inch pan

Angel Gingerbread

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
½ cup butter
1 tsp salt
½ cup molasses
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves
1 cup boiling water

Combine all ingredients, adding boiling water last. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes

A Taste of Russia

From our partner site, Marat's Kitchen:

Skillet Pasta with Sausages

Baked Creamed Spinach

Винигрет (Vinaigrette Salad Russian Style)

Homemade Sauerkraut

Golubzi

More coming soon, right Marat? ;-)

Raw Apple Cake

Ingredients:

½ cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
5 cups chopped apples

Mix together, bake for one hour at 325° in a 9*12 inch pan.

Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
¼ cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ¼ cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
3 cups quick-cook oats
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Mix sugar, butter, egg, water, and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes, until almost no indentation remains when touched. Remove from cookie sheet immediately.

Fudge (from Hershey’s Cocoa Cookbook)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup cocoa
3 cups sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 ½ cups milk
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
Lightly grease 8- or 9-inch square pan. Thoroughly combine dry ingredients in a heavy 4-quart saucepan; stir in milk. Bring to a “bubbly” boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring to 234° F. (soft ball stage) or until small amount of syrup dropped into very cold water forms a soft ball. Bulb of candy thermometer should not rest on bottom of saucepan. Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla. Do not stir. Cool at room temperature to 110° F. (pan is barely warm to touch). Beat with wooden spoon until fudge thickens and loses its gloss. Quickly spread in prepared pan. Cool completely; cut into 1-inch squares.

Lemon Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp milk
7/8 cups lemon juice
2 tsp. lemon rind

Beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar a little at a time, beating until stiff. Beat in cream and milk. Add lemon juice and beat. Fold in rind. Freeze.

Hummus

Ingredients:

1 cups garbanzo beans
1 cloves garlic
¼ cup orange juice
2 Tbsp tahini
Pinch cayenne pepper
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Soak beans overnight. Drain water, cook with new water, a carrot and 2 cloves garlic for 45 minutes
Once beans are cooked, drain beans BUT keep ¼ cup water. Mix water with other ingredients (listed above); blend until smooth.

Grandma P’s Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

1 qt. water
1 or 2 cups tomato juice
2 onions
2 Tbsp green pepper
3 cups diced carrots
2 diced potatoes
4 stalks celery
½ cup barley
1 lb. hamburger
6-8 whole allspice
2 bay leaves (optional)
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp. parsley
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. oregano

Simmer together 2 hours or so. Serve sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese or mozzarella.

LaJean’s French Rolls

Ingredients:

3 cups warm water
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp salt
8 cups flour
Evaporated milk
Sesame seeds

Combine first five ingredients, dissolving yeast. Add flour and mix. Dough will be stiff. Don’t knead. Let raise 1 hour. Cut into 5 loaves. For rolls cut each loaf into 8 pieces. Tuck edges under to make balls. Roll in milk, then sesame seeds. Place on greased cookie sheet. Let raise uncovered 1 ½ hours. Bake at 375° 30-45 minutes for loaves, 25-30 minutes for rolls.

Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups uncooked pasta
3 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz. cold cooked chicken
Bell peppers, chopped
½ cup olives
4 green onions, chopped (may replace with ½ cup chopped onion cooked in olive oil)
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Pepper
Fresh basil leaves to garnish

Cook pasta, drain & rinse under cold water, toss with olive oil, set aside.
Cut chicken into bite-size pieces, mix with all other ingredients, adding pasta last.
Garnish with basil leaves

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:

1 onion
Olive oil or butter (for cooking onion)
Chicken—enough to make 2 cups chopped meat when cooked
6 flour tortillas
Monterey Jack Cheese
Optional: green chili or green pepper

Cook Chicken in water. Pour broth into a separate pan, bring to a boil. Shake up flour in cold water and add to broth. Add bouillon to taste.

Cut up chicken and onion, grate cheese. Mix chicken and most of the cheese (save some to put on the top). Cook onions in olive oil or butter and mix with chicken and cheese, adding green chili if desired. Add 2/3 of broth. Place a spoon or two of mixture in each tortilla, roll tortilla. Place filled tortillas in baking pan. Pour remaining broth on top, sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Serves 6.

Oatmeal Raisin Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
1 1/3 rolled oats
1/3 cup molasses
Combine above ingredients and let sit until bubbly—about 5-10 minutes, then add:
2 Tbsp oil or melted butter
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour
1 cup raisins

Let rise 30 minutes, then add enough flour to make dough stiff enough to knead. Knead 5 minutes. Let rise until doubled, then divide in half and put in long pans and let rise again. Sprinkle tops with water and then sprinkle oatmeal on top. Bake in 375° oven 40-50 minutes.

Variations: makes excellent rolls. Divide dough into 24 balls; roll balls in oatmeal and place ½ inch apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake in 375° oven 20 minutes or until done. Excellent nut bread can be made by adding 1 cup chopped nuts to recipe and forming 2 balls of the dough and baking in casserole dish or pie plate.

Jalopy Sloes Whole Wheat Blueberry Bread

Note that all measurements are approximate since this is a Jalopy Sloes food)

Ingredients:

6 cups whole wheat flour
3 tsp soda
1 ½ tsp salt (more or less to taste)
½ cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups (1-2 ½, as needed) milk
1-1 ½ lbs. blueberries
Mix flour, soda, salt together in side bowl
Cream butter, sugar, and eggs
Add buttermilk and vanilla
Add dry ingredients
Add milk until there is “enough”. Beat only a little. Make sure it’s thick enough to hold blueberries in suspension
Add blueberries, stirring in by hand
Bake at 350° four about 1 hour; makes 3 large loaves.

Bread (2 loaves)

Ingredients:

½ cup warm water
2 ½ cups warmer water (not hot)
~5 cups of flour (variable)—use mixture of white, wheat, rye—whatever you want
1 Tbs. salt (can do less salt if desired)
1-2 Tbs. yeast
¼-½ tsp. sugar
Add sugar and yeast to ½ cup warm water. Mix flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in the 2 ½ cups warmer water. Mix in some of the flour and then add the yeast mixture. Continue mixing in flour a little bit at a time until a good dough is formed—not hard, but should be able to feel something between your fingers when you squeeze it. Put some flour on the counter, dump out dough, knead at least 300 times. You’ll feel it change from a thick batter into an elastic ball of dough. Always keep the flour under the dough when kneading—never add flour on top of the dough. You want a ball that is sticky on the inside, floury on the outside.
Let raise ~30 minutes until roughly double in size, punch down, let raise again. Make into loaves, let raise ~25 minutes (depends how warm it is and how much yeast there is—raises faster with more yeast and in warmer weather). If raises too much there will be a hole under the crust.
Bake:
- @400 for 45 minutes
- @400 for 15 minutes, then at 350 for 30 minutes
- @350/375 for 45-50 minutes
Experiment and use the one that works the best

Variations:

Blue Cheese Pizza

Use Bread recipe given above; roll out like pizza dough, place dough on cookie sheet and sprinkle liberally with blue cheese. Bake until done.

Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat flour
2 cups of milk
2 eggs—separate yolks from whites (can vary if prefer more eggs)
1/3 Tbs. salt
1 Tbs. baking powder

Beat egg whites and set aside. Beat egg yolks and then add milk, beat together. Stir together flour, salt, and baking powder, add to egg yolk and milk mixture, beat until well mixed. Fold in egg whites. Bake on a hot oiled griddle. Will stick if griddle is either too hot or too cool—adjust temperature until doesn’t stick.

Fruit Syrup for Pancakes

Ingredients:

¼ cup corn starch
½ cup sugar
Water to desired thickness (should be quite thick before add fruit)
Frozen fruit
Mommy’s way: Mix sugar and corn starch together with no heat, add cool water a little at a time stirring constantly. Add fruit.
Daddy’s way: bring water to a boil, stir corn starch with water and add that mixture. Add fruit

Catherine’s way: Forget about the corn starch. Thaw fruit. Place in blender with some orange juice and sugar. Blend. Heat if desired.

Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

Onions
Garlic
Hamburger
Tomatoes
Basil
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne pepper
Molasses or vinegar and sugar
Optional: mushrooms, olives

Cook onions and garlic and hamburger together. When cooked, add tomatoes (add tomato paste to make it thicker). Add spices to taste; 2-3 times more basil than oregano. Dash of cayenne pepper, a little bit of molasses. Add mushrooms or olive if desired.
Benj’s variation: replace molasses with a little bit of vinegar and sugar.

Meatloaf

Ingredients:

¾ lb. hamburger
1 slice of bread broken in pieces
1 handful of oatmeal
1 small onion, chopped
½ tsp. salt
Pepper
Dry mustard
Powdered garlic
Worcestershire sauce
½ cup milk
1 egg
Mix all ingredients, mold into a loaf in a pan. Put ketchup on top, bake at 350° for 1 hour.

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 lb. package of noodles of choice
12-16 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
White sauce (see recipe) made from 3 cups of milk
Fresh or dried Chives
1 tsp. salt
Pepper
Dry mustard
1-2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Cook macaroni, let drain.
Make white sauce, mix all ingredients except macaroni. When mixed thoroughly, poor over macaroni and bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Lasagna

Ingredients:

Pasta sauce (see above) thinned down with water
Lasagna noodles
Cottage or ricotta cheese (white cheese in foreign countries)
Parsley
½ cup parmesan
1 beaten egg
Black pepper
½ tsp. salt
Grated mozzarella cheese

Cheese Sauce: Take Cottage/ricotta/white cheese and mix in parsley, ½ cup parmesan, 1 beaten egg, black pepper, ½ tsp. salt.

Layer Pasta sauce, cheese sauce, grated mozarella and lasagna noodles: 1st pasta sauce, noodles, cheese sauce, noodles, pasta sauce, parmesan, noodles, white cheese, noodles, red sauce, etc. For final layer place noodles followed directly with mozzarella for crunchy noodles on top. If noodles aren’t cooking enough, add water to tomato sauce.

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until bubbly and brown on top.

Hamburger Soup

Ingredients:

Onions
Garlic
Carrots
Green beans
Potatoes
Tomato juice
Salt
Pepper
Cook onions, garlic, and hamburger together. Add some water and bring to a boil. Put carrots in. Next add green beans if fresh or frozen. Add potatoes last; should take only 5 minutes or so if cut small. Add tomato juice after vegetables have been cooked (tastes better for some reason. Add salt and pepper.

Cream Tuna

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. butter
Chopped onions
1 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 can tuna
Curry
¼ tsp. salt
Melt butter and cook chopped onions in melted butter. Stir in flour, let bubble for 1-2 minutes. Add milk, bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, add tuna, salt and curry to taste. Serve over rice; good served with peas.

Cream, Peas, and Potatoes

Ingredients:

Potatoes
Peas (frozen work best)

White sauce: 2 Tbs. of butter (30 grams), 2 Tbs. of flour, and 2 cups of milk. Melt butter, stir in flour, let bubble for 1-2 minutes, add cold milk all at once while stirring vigorously. Bring to a boil, let boil for a minute.

Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Peel and cook potatoes. Make white sauce. Add potatoes, salt and frozen peas to white sauce, heat until warm.

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

4 medium-large size Onions

1-2 Tbsp. butter

1-2 liters

Water

Beef soup base

Bread

Swiss cheese

Slice onions, separate rings, cook in butter until all liquid is gone and onions are caramelized. Add water, beef soup base (Knorr makes a good one).

To serve, break bread in bottom of each person’s bowl, cover with swiss cheese. Pour HOT soup over bread and cheese.

Chili

Ingredients:

2 cups Pinto Beans

1 carrot (for cooking only)

½ lb. hamburger

Medium-sized onion

2 cloves of garlic

2-4 cups of some type of tomatoes (crushed seems best)

1 Tbsp. Crushed red chili pepper

1 tsp. salt per quart of chili

Wash and soak pinto beans 4-8 hours before making. Drain off soaking water, put on new water, bring to a boil and boil gently with a carrot in it for 1.5-2 hours until very soft. Cook hamburger with onion and garlic. Add tomatoes and chili pepper to beans (remove carrot first) along with hamburger mixture.

Black Beans

Ingredients:

2 cups black beans
1 carrot (for cooking only)
3 cloves garlic

Wash beans, soak 4-8 hours. Pour off soaking water, put on new water and cook with garlic and a carrot for 1.5-2 hours or until soft (remove carrot after cooked).

For black bean soup: Same as above except blend after cooking and add a tiny bit of Cumin. Good served with Sour cream and raw tomatoes.

Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:

2 cups white flour
1 Tbsp. butter
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
½ - ¾ cup warm water

Mix salt, baking powder, and flour; cut in butter (as you would for a pie crust) until like cornmeal. Add warm water a little at a time to make a soft (but not sticky) dough. Let rest 15 minutes, roll out on a floured surface and cook on a very hot non-greased griddle.

Corn Tortillas

Ingredients:

Masa Harina
Water

Combine Masa Harina and water to create a soft but non-sticky dough. Press between 2 gallon-size zip-lock bags—one bag on the counter, then the dough, then another bag; smash with a plate.

Corn Bread II

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow corn meal
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp soda
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 ½ Tbsp butter
Melt butter in oven using pan that you will put cornbread in. Mix dry ingredients; add buttermilk, egg, and melted butter from pan; beat until well mixed. Pour batter into hot pan; bake at 450° 25-30 minutes. Serve very hot.

Ma's Cornbread

1 cup buttermilk
1 cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt
3/8 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 tbsp butter

Place butter in pan and pan in preheating oven. Mix first five ingredients. Stir melted butter into batter.

Bake at 450 for 22 minutes.