Fudge Brownies

½ C margarine or butter
1 C flour
2 OZ unsweetened chocolate (melted)
½ TSP salt
1 C sugar
½ C chopped walnuts
2 eggs
1 TSP vanilla

Temperature: 350

Cream the margarine and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Add the vanilla. Mix the salt and flour then add to the creamed mix. Stir in the nuts. Put in 8×8″ square pan. Bake until crackly on top and a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Do not overbake, the center should be moist. Frost if desired with a chocolate glaze, but these are just as good plain. You can use a semi-sweet chocolate for lighter tasting brownes.

Tetrazzini (Quick & Easy)

1 small onion (chopped)
1 TSP chicken boullion powder
¼ C Wondra instant flour
½ C sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
4 TBS butter or margarine
½ C parmesan or romano cheese
2 C milk
1-1½ TSP salt
3 C cooked turkey or chicken
½ LB cooked pasta (salted)
½ C mushrooms (optional)

Temperature: 350

Melt the butter and add the onions and saute until soft. Add flour and stir until blended. Slowly add the milk, sirring constantly with a wire whisk. Cook on low heat until thickened, adding more milk if needed, for about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms, meat and half of the cheddar cheese and cook until cheese is blended. Mix with the pasta and place in baking dish. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and the remaining cheddar. Bake for 20 minutes.

Note: Green onions and celery can be added along with the onions. Green peas can be mixed into the casserole just before baking.

Smothered Green Beans

1 large onion (chopped)
Potatoes (red,idaho or gold) (cut)
6-8 cloves garlic (chopped)
1-2 LB ham (cubed)
3 LB green beans
Water
2 TSP salt
¼ TSP pepper
½ LB bacon (optional)

Temperature:

Wash the beans and cut off the ends. If using bacon, cook it till it’s crisp and set aside. Saute the onion in 2 TSP olive oil or bacon drippings until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the ham, and stirfry for about 5 minutes or until slightly braised. Add water to fill the pot to 2″, beans, bacon, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low heat until beans are to desired consistency – about 1 to 1½ hrs. Check for desired seasoning flavor half-way through cooking as you can’t effectively season beans or any vegetable after they’ve cooked). Maintain about 2″ of water in the pot at all times. Add the cut potatoes after beans are soft and cook until they are fork tender.

Strawberry Banana Nut Bread

3 C flour
1 TSP baking soda
1 TSP salt
1 TBS cinnamon
2 C sugar
4 eggs (slightly beaten)
1¼ C vegatable oil
1¼ C strawberries fresh or frozen (mashed)
1¼ C bananas fresh or frozen (mashed)
1½ C pecans or walnuts (chopped)

Temperature: 350

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together. Make an indented “well” in the center of the dry mixture then add the liquid mix to it. Stir just enough to moisten. Pour into greased bread pans. This makes enough cake batter for six 6x3x2″ pans or two 9x5x3″ pans. Bake for 40-60 minutes, depending on the size of the pans. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Turn out on cake racks to cool.

Chicken Soup

3-5 LB chicken (roasting chickens give the best flavor but fryers are fine)
1 large onion (chopped)
4-6 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 bunch celery (cut in diagonal pieces, not chopped)
½ C parsley (fresh or dried)
1 bunch green onion (hand cut)
Use any additional vegetables you like (carrots, zucchini, etc.)
Noodles or small macaroni (cooked)

Temperature:

Cut the chickens apart and remove the skin. Remove as much of the meat as possible from the legs and thighs. Debone the breast and cut it into 1″ pieces, wings can be added whole. If you use the backbone, clean it thoroughly. Braise all of the chicken (bones too) and set aside. In the same same pot (unwashed) cook the onion until clear. Add the garlic, celery, green onion and parsley. Put the braised chicken back and any additional vegatables in the pot and add enough water to cover. Add 1 TSP of salt and ¼ TSP of pepper, or more to taste. Cook until the chicken is tender and the vegatables are done then remove the bones. Serve with the noodles.

Beef & Vegetable Stew

To make approximately 3-4 QT:
4 LB cubed lean boneless beef (stew meat, chuck, rump, etc.)
2 large onions (chopped)
1 TBS olive oil
½ C chopped parsley
6-10 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 bunch green onions (tops and bottoms, chopped)
2-3 C sliced carrots
2 C celery (coarsely cut)
3-4 LB cut potatoes
1-2 large cans stewed tomatoes (mashed)
2 LB fresh green beans
2 TBS chopped fresh basil
2 TBS chopped fresh thyme
1 PKG frozen baby lima beans
1 PKG frozen corn
3 bay leaves
5 cubes beef boullion
All-purpose flour
Vegetable oil
Any other additional vegetables you like
Salt & pepper (to taste)

Brown off the meat and set aside. Make a medium-brown roux in the same pot from ½ C oil (or ¼ C butter and ¼ C vegetable oil) and 1 C flour for 3-4 QT stew. Cook the onions until clear then add garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add the celery, green onions, parsley and tomato. Add the bouillon, herbs, 2 TSP salt and ½ TSP pepper to start and enough water to reach a consistency slightly thinner than the final product (2-3 QT). Put the meat back in. Add the lima beans, corn and green beans. Cook until meat is fork-tender and vegetables are done. Add the carrots then cook until done. Add the potatoes, increasing the water occasionally if needed and cook until done.

Note: Beef stew can be adapted for either a pressure cooker or crock-pot. Expect conventional cooking to take between 2½ to 3 hours. You can reduce amount by using less roux and vegetables or water, but a lot of good meat is still necessary.

Crock-Pot: Be sure to braise the meat (never use raw meat) – best to use a regular pot to braise the meat, make the roux and cook the onion and garlic. Place everything into crock-pot and cook on low about 8 hours or until the meat is tender. Hold the potatoes until 1 or 2 hours before serving unless you like mashed potato soup.

Pressure Cooker: Brown off the meat in the pot, remove and make the roux then cook the onion & garlic. Add back the meat and all the other ingredients (most people put the potatoes in at the start). If final result is too thin, open the pot and allow to simmer to reduce volume. Add water if it’s too thick.

Beef & Vegetable Soup

To make approximately 8 QT:
4 LB cubed lean boneless beef (stew meat, chuck, rump, etc.)
2 large onions (chopped)
1 TBS olive oil
½ C chopped parsley
6-10 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 bunch green onions (tops and bottoms, chopped)
2-3 C sliced carrots
2 C celery (coarsely cut)
3-4 LB cut potatoes
1-2 large cans stewed tomatoes (mashed)
2 LB fresh green beans
2 TBS chopped fresh basil
2 TBS chopped fresh thyme
1 PKG frozen baby lima beans
1 PKG frozen corn
3 bay leaves
5 cubes beef boullion
Use any additional vegetables you like
Salt & pepper (to taste)

Temperature:

Brown off the meat and set aside. Cook the onions until clear then add garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add the celery, green onions, parsley and tomato. Add 3-4 QT water, boullion, herbs, 2 TSP salt and ½ TSP pepper. Put the meat back in. Add the lima beans, corn and green beans. Cook until meat is fork-tender and vegatables are done. Add the carrots then cook until done. Add potatoes and water to make 5-6 QT and cook until done. Serve with macaroni (elbows etc.) Cooked separately and added at serving.

Note: Beef soup can be adapted for either a pressure cooker or crock-pot. Expect conventional cooking to take between 2½ to 3 hours. You can reduce amount by using less vegetables or water, but a lot of good meat is still necessary.

Crock-Pot: Be sure to braise the meat (never use raw meat) – best to use a regular pot to braise the meat and cook the onion and garlic. Place everything into crock-pot and cook on low about 8 hours or until the meat is tender. Hold the potatoes until 1 or 2 hours before serving unless you like mashed potato soup.

Pressure Cooker: Brown off the meat in the pot, remove and cook the onion & garlic in 1 TBS of olive oil. Add back the meat and all the other ingredients (most people put the potatoes in at the start). If final result is too thin, open the pot and allow to simmer to reduce volume. Add water if it’s too thick.

Spinach & Artichoke Cheese Dip

  • 20 OZ frozen chopped spinach
  • 1 can artichoke hearts or bottoms (drained and chopped)
  • 1 MED onion (chopped)
  • 4-6 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 4 OZ butter
  • 8 OZ Philly cream cheese (softened)
  • 8 OZ sour cream
  • 1 C Parmesan or Romano cheese
  • 4 OZ monterey jack cheese (grated)
  • 4 OZ mozarella (grated)
  • 4 OZ sharp cheddar (grated)
  • Tony Chachere seasoning (to taste)

Oven: 350° F

  1. Boil the spinach in salted water until tender (~5 minutes). Drain & squeeze the excess liquid out.
  2. Saute the onions until soft. Add the garlic, butter and artichokes then cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Mix all ingredients, reserving 1 C of mixed dry cheeses for topping.
  4. Place in a casserole dish and bake in the oven or microwave until hot and the cheeses are melted.
  5. Top with reserved cheese.
  6. Serve as a dip with crackers, chips, etc.

Broccoli With White Sauce & Cheese

White Cream Sauce:
1 C milk
2 TBS Wondra flour
½ TSP salt
2 TBS butter or margarine

Broccoli:
2-4 LB broccoli spears (frozen)
8 OZ sharp cheddar
1/8 TSP white pepper

Temperature: 350

Cook the broccoli and drain. Arrange in a rectangular glass baking dish. Make the white sauce by combining all ingredients in a pot and cook, stirring constantly on medium heat until thick and smooth.

Method #1: Add grated cheese to sauce and stir until melted then pour over broccoli and heat in the oven or microwave until hot.

Method #2: Pour white sauce over broccoli then top with grated cheese. Bake or microwave until the cheese melts and the vegetables are hot. Recipe for white sauce can be increased or reduced by ½ to cover the amount of broccoli used.

Egg Rolls (Chinese)

2 C pork loin (roasted, BBQ or raw) (shredded)
2 C chicken (raw or cooked) (slivered)
1 LB uncooked shrimp (peeled) (optional)
2 medium onions (chopped or sliced thin)
½ C (1 bunch) green onions (chopped)
6-8 cloves garlic (minced)
½-1 C water chestnuts (chopped)
2-3 C bean sprouts (whole)
1 C mushrooms (fresh) (optional)
½ C bamboo shoots (optional)
2 C celery (coarse chopped)
2 TBS ginger root (minced)
2 TBS cornstarch
2 C bok choy (thin shredded) (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
Sesame oil
Soy sauce

Temperature:

In a wok fry the onion in 1 TBS vegatable oil until clear. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute. Add the meats and stirfry until braised. Run 1 TBS sesame oil around wok rim, add all other ingredients and stirfry until soft and blended. Salt & pepper and add soy sauce (1 TBS at a time). Add more sesame oil if needed. Taste mix for adequate seasonings. Add 2 TBS cornstarch that has been dissolved in a small amount of water, cover and cook until the meat is tender. Place the filling on the triangle end of the wrapper. Turn in the ends of the wrapper, roll and seal the edge with a mixture of 1 egg and 1 TBS water. Fry in hot oil until golden brown, crispy and the filling is hot.