Mom's Recipes

(And a few by some other great chefs)

Index:


Recipes:

Banana Bread

1 egg
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
2 large (or 3 medium) bananas - mashed
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Dash of cinnamon

Beat egg
Add sugar and butter
Add mashed bananas
Add dry ingredients
Pour into greased and floured bread pan
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes


Irish Soda Bread

stir together:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. sugar

cut 3 Tsp. of crisco into tiny pieces and mix in

add:
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup raisins

mix
turn out onto a well floured board
make into a ball
put on a greased cookie sheet
cut a cross in top 1/2 inch deep
put a little buttermilk over whole top (brush it on)
bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour


Blueberry Buckle

Once again, in the master's own words:

It's always so nice to feel wanted by my children. Here's the recipe and a few pointers. As you may recall, I often freeze blueberries, and due to my impatientce or whatever, usually don't defrost them before making the buckle. This usually works just fine - however, the baking time is a little longer. The way to test doneness is to insert a wooden toothpick into the cake near the middle. (Basically, any thing with a thin tip that won't melt will work, including a knife.) If the cake is done, it will come out relatively clean if the batter is still gooey, it will stick to the toothpick. You may want to pick over the blueberries to remove the stems and any rotten ones. For ones I've picked myself, I usually don't wash them, as I pick from the top of the bushes. If you want to wash your purchased ones, make sure they have had a chance to dry on some paper towels before adding them to the batter. And if you put any in the freezer, don't wash them first - wash them when you are ready to use them. I use the 811 pan - use whatever you have. If it is 911, check for doneness a bit sooner. Also, you may want to adjust the baking time if you are using a glass/Corning ware type pan. I think it requires a little longer at a lower temp, but I need to check on this for you.

BLUEBERRY BUCKLE

1/4 cup butter/margarine, softened
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 cups blueberries

TOPPING - same one I use for Apple Crisp and crumb pies.

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon - or more
1/3 cup flour

Grease and flour an 8" or 9" square pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugar.
Beat in egg.
Add milk and mix slowly.
Sift together dry ingredients and stir into batter.
Fold in blueberries.
Spread batter in pan.

To make topping, put all ingerdients in a small bowl. You can use a fork to "cut" butter into dry mixture until it resembles crumbs.

Spoon crumbs evenly over batter in pan.

Bake 45 min. or until cake is done. Place pan on rack to cool.

Enjoy.

With love, Mom


Continential Casserole (egg dish that Mom served to crowds) (From ND Cookbook)

6 slices bacon
3 cups croutons (Try to get the ones that are about 1/2” cubes, NOT the 1” cubes. Also, you can use plain , cheese, or cheese and garlic flavored.)
8 oz. Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded (You can use the low fat cheese if are being health conscious, but don't use the no fat.) you
6 large eggs
3 cups milk (Skim is OK if you are being health conscious; 2% is better; whole milk is richer yet, but not necessary)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Cook, drain, and crumble the bacon. (This can be done the day before.) (Mom snips the slices with my kitchen shears.)

Greased 2 quart ceramic casserole dish.
Layer croutons and sprinkle with cheese.
Combine remaining ingredients (beat with hand mixer) and pour over croutons and cheese.
Sprinkle bacon on top.
Bake immediately, uncovered, at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes, until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

NOTE: The recipe doubles easily for a larger pan. Allow up to 15 minutes longer to bake.


Mexican Eggs

4 eggs
2 tomato
1 yellow onion
1 serrano pepper

Throw out the watery insides of tomato; dice the skin and flesh.
Throw out inside and seeds of serrano pepper; finely dice the skin into teeny pieces.
Dice the onions.
Fry tomato and serrano for about 15 minutes, boiling the water out of the tomato, until shapeless red mush.
(NOTE: the tomato+serrano mush should equal the amount of onion, after the tomato's water has been boiled out.)
Add onions and fry until they are cooked.
Break eggs on top, scramble in the pan, fry until cooked.

Serve with strong coffee, sourdough toast, and butter.


Eggs Chesapeake

An approximation of a great recipe from Martha's Cafe in Charlottesville
>Date: Thu,. 8 Nov 200107:40:51 -0800 (PST)
>--- Michael Nahas <...> wrote:
> Nick,
> I've got a hankering for Martha's Cafe's Eggs
> Chesapeake. I don't suppose
> that you were able to filch the recipe when you
> worked there?
> Mike

YEssiree---

THe Hollandaise sauce is a fairly standard sauce ->it'll be in any Joy of Cooking Cookbook.

The muffins with which the crabcakes are made is another matter -- they've got whole grain flour and cornmeal in them. Again, standard muffins... with a little clove and nutmeg thrown in (very little bit). You want them to be very soft and moist (check JOC).

Crush up some muffins and add some crabmeat (minus gristly stuff) and mush them all together until you get a nice crabby-muffiny paste. (A teensy bit of egg helps).

Make patties and place them on a lightly (I mean LIGHTLY) pammed skillet until they are cooked to your satisfaction (I prefer them a little on the browner side).

Put a couple of English muffins in the toaster and poach two eggs. Put the English muffins on a plate, put a crabcake on each muffin, then carefully put one egg on each cake and cover with Hollandaise sauce... then add some parsley and voila! You have Mike Paine's Eggs Chesapeake. It is damn good isn't it?

##########################################
Tried this recipe for Christmas 2001
Here what I did:
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground clove
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder

beat together.
1 egg
2 Tbsp. honey or molasses
1 cup milk
2-3 tsp. melted butter

Had 10 muffins + 2 eggs + 2 lbs. crab meat (counting gristle, which was removed)
Made 12 crabcakes.
Cooked at 5 minutes per side at 270 degrees on electric fry pan.

Results:
Crabcakes were too big - shrink by about 1/3.
Also had too much crab flavor - reduce the crab by more than 1/3. (maybe only use 1 lb.?)

In 2020, I did 2 lbs. crab with 1.5 times muffin recipe. It needed 4 jumbo eggs to stick together. Came out great! Made 24 crab cakes. Served on lightly toasted English muffins (which I almost forgot!) with poached egg and Hollandaise sause.


Apple Pancakes

Sift together:
1 ½ c. flour
½ tsp. salt
2 ½ tsp baking powder
1 Tbs sugar
Mix together:
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ c. milk
Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix.
Stir in 3 Tbs. melted butter.
Stir in 1 cup of apple – peeled, cored, and chopped (fairly small but a larger than minced).
Cook on griddle.

Great with cinnamon sugar and also with real maple syrup.


Waffles

2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup salad oil
2 large bananas

Cook for 4 minutes on iron.


Banana-Nut Waffles

2 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. light sour cream
4 eggs
1 cup salad oil

3 small or 2 large bananas, diced
Chopped pecans - optional

Mix dry ingredients.
Mix wet ingredients.
Stir in wet ingredients and beat till smooth. (A wire whisk works well.)
Add bananas. (And nuts, if desired.)
Bake on waffle iron as directed. (Usually you need to oil the iron and heat the iron up first.)

This recipe makes about 4 4-section waffles on our waffle iron, enough for all six of us.
Good with blueberry syrup. CARD CARD
Recipe halves easily.
Can freeze leftovers.


Chex Mix alla Frannie (extra butter, extra spice ... the good stuff!) (author is not responsible for addiction.)

You need a large roasting pan. (And a 2.5 cup measuring cup helps!)

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
10 Tbsp (2/3 cup) Worcestershire sauce
5 tsp Garlic Powder
5 tsp Onion Powder

1 16 oz jar unsalted roasted peanuts (~2.5 cups)
~5 cups Mini Pretzels
~5-6 cups Corn Chex
~5-6 cups Rice Chex
~2.5 cups Wheat Chex
~2.5 cups Cheerios

NOTE: If you use a 2.5 cup measuring cup, it’s easy. It’s one each of Wheat Chex and Cheerios, two each of Corn Chex, Rice Chex, and Pretzels, plus extra Chex to fill the pan.

Turn on the oven to 250 degrees.
Put the butter in the roasting pan and put in the over to melt.
While the butter is melting, measure out the Chex, Peanuts, Cheerios, and Pretzels into the big bowl (or multiple bowls if you don’t have one big enough).
Once the butter is melted, take out of the oven and add the Worcestershire, garlic powder, and onion powder to the pan and stir.
Pour the Chex mix into the pan.
Stir gently until everything is coated.
Add more Corn and/or Rice Chex to fill the pan. Stir gentle to incorporate.
For added spice or if it’s a big pan, sprinkle the top with a little extra Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Cook for 1 hour total, stopping to stir every 15 minutes.
While the Chex mix is cooking, set out 3-5 sheet pans and cover with paper towels.
When the Chex mix is done, spread on the sheet pans to cool.


Dee's Easy No-Cook Taco Dip

Bottom layer:
Refried beans (I use the big-honkin' can)

Next layer:
Guacomole (or 2-3 mashed avocados)

Next layer, mix:
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 package taco mix (dry powdered mix)

Next layer, dice together:
tomatos
green onion
black olives
green olives

Top layer:
shreaded cheese


Jen's Butternut Soup

1 butternut squash - peeled, deseeded, and cubed
1 large sweet onion - diced
1 apple - this controls the sweetness of the soup, so choose the type of apple according to your preference - peeled, cored, and diced
veg broth (though you can use anykind)
salt and pepper
(cayenne and cumin) or (peri peri and cumin) or (nutmeg and sugar)

My mother uses nutmeg and a little sugar instead of cayenne and cumin, for a very different flavor profile, also good, though I prefer it more savory.

Dump prepared squash, onion, and apple in a pot and cover with broth
Simmer for an hour
Check to see if squash is soft, if not, simmer longer
Season
Modify consistency as per desire - I used to use a mason jar to mash the 'solid' components of the soup, ending up with a kind of lumpy yellow soup. Now I use an emersion blender on low, so it is smoother but still thick. My mom puts it in a blender.
Enjoy!

If you refrigerate the leftover, it tends to loose some liquid and become very thick, so I add a little water or broth before reheating. Also freezes well.

Chicken Barley Soup

2 tsp. olive oil
4 Green onions chopped, with white and green parts divided
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken cut into ½ inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
3 14.5-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
2/3 cup quick-cooking barley
½ cup frozen corn
½ cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Salt and ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add white part of the onion and cook 1 minute. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes, until browned on all sides, stirring frequently. Toss in thyme and bay leaves and stir to coat chicken and onion.
Add broth and barley and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, until tender. Stir in corn and peas and simmer 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and green part of the onion.
Notes:
  1. Also good with quinoa instead of barley.
  2. Also good with cilantro instead of parsley.

Lentil Soup

2 T. olive oil
1 yellow onion finely chopped
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic minced
1 bay leaf
2 t. curry powder
2 cup canned diced plum tomatoes, with juice
1 cup dried brown or pink lentils, rinsed and drained
6 cups chicken stock
1 lemon sliced
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh spinach
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and bay leaf and sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and their juice, lentils, stock, and lemon slices. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover partially, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Discard the lemon slices and bay leaf.
Just before serving, stir in the spinach, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the spinach is wilted but still bright green. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tortilla Soup

½ cup plus 2 T. vegetable oil
1 yellow onion thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup plus 2 t. chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup drained canned plum tomatoes
½ t. ground cumin
4 cups chick stock
1 skinless, boneless whole chicken breast (@ ½ pound) cut into bite-sized strips
Salt and pepper
4 corn tortillas
1 dried chile, such as ancho, seeded
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
¼ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
2 t. fresh lime juice

In a frying pan, over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onion, garlic, and the 2 teaspoons cilantro and sauté just until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
In a blender or food processor, combine the sautéed mixture and the tomatoes and process until smooth.
In the same frying pan over medium-high heat, warm another tablespoon of the oil. Add the tomato mixture and cumin. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and darkened, 5-6 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the stock. Cover partially and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the chicken strips and simmer until they are just opaque throughout, 2-3 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
While the soup is cooking, cut the tortillas in half and slice each half into thin strips. In a frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the ½ cup vegetable oil. Drop a tortilla strip in the oil and if it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready. Drop handfuls of the tortilla strips into the oil and fry, turning with tongs, until crisp and browned, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.
In a small, dry frying pan over medium heat, toast the chile until fragrant, about 7 minutes. Shake the pan often; do not let the chile burn. Let cool, then crumble and set aside.
To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Divide the tortilla strips, crumbles chile, the ¼ cup cilantro, the avocado, cheese, and lime juice evenly among the bowls and serve immediately.

Notes:
  1. I sometimes add a little tomato paste to help thicken.
  2. Add more cilantro to the base if you like a stronger flavor.
  3. To simplify, instead of roasting the chile, just use some ancho chile powder (not your generic mixed chile powder) and sprinkle a little to taste in soup? be careful, it can get very spicy very quickly this way!
  4. Instead of frying the tortilla strips, bake tortilla strips instead. Healthier and easier! 400 for 7-8 minutes. Watch carefully? they take a while to brown, then go to black very quickly!


Peggy's Corn Dish (she brings this to Thanksgiving)

1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup sour cream
8-oz box corn bread mix (I use Jiffy brand)
16-oz. cream-style corn
16 oz. whole kernel corn, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients.
Pour into a greased 8" or 7 by 11 inch casserole dish
bake 25-30 minutes or until set. You can tell if the middle is soft to continue baking.


Czech Dumplings

Mealy potatoes (e.g., Russet, not red nor Yukon gold) -- 6 small ones
Eggs -- one jumbo or two large
Salt
Pepper
Flour (2 cups?)
[optional] Onion flakes

Boil potatoes.
Drain.
Put fluffy (bath) towel in pot with potatoes, to absorb steam. Cover the pot and let sit until cool.

Start to boil a very large pot of water.
Mash the potatoes.
Add eggs, salt, pepper (Aunt Joan added onion flakes). Mash.
Add flour (and keep mashing) until it hangs together. (This took between 1/2 and 1 cups.)
Scoop on to a floured board. (You want to start soaking your first pot, so avoid the potato leftovers drying hard on it.)
Cut in half (or fourths).
Roll it out into a cylinder about a soda can in diameter (but longer).
Use a floured knife to chop off 1.5 inch pieces and roll each in your floured hands to make the dumpling.
Pile up your dumpling.
Wait for pot of water to boil.

Gently drop in the dumpings.
When they float to the top, removed them.
Serve!


Garlic Broccoli

Boil/steam broccoli as normal
Fry in pan with oil and garlic cloves for a few minutes.


Mashed Potatoes (Milk-free)

Boil potatoes in chicken stock.
Mash and add garlic cloves and butter. (It has dairy, but no milk!)


Sauerkraut (Czech style)

Sauerkraut (jar or bag from store)
Apple
Onion (yellow or Vidalia)

Squeeze vinegar out of sauerkraut
Put in pot
Add a few chopped slices of onion
Add chopped apple
Bring to boil and let simmer for 5 minutes (until apple is soft)


Sweet Potatoes with Onions

4 med. peeled sweet potatoes, ~1 lb.
2 med. Sweet onions, ~1 lb.
2 T olive oil
¾ t. garlic-pepper blend

Cut potatoes into 1” pieces.
Cut onions into 1” pieces.
Toss veggies to coat with the oil and spice.
Turn into 9" by 13" oven proof pan (I like to use a Corningware baking dish, about 2”-3” deep).
Bake at 425 degrees for 35 min., stirring occasionally.


Potato Salad (almost as good as Second Avenue Deli's)

6 to 7 medium red potatoes
1/3 cup Italian dressing (Good Season's Mix, with red wine vinegar, not balsamic)
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion (adjust based on strength)
4 hard boiled eggs
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard
1/4 teaspoon horseradish

Cook potatoes. Peel and slice. Pour dressing over warm potatoes.
Chill for 2 hours.
Split eggs into whites and yokes.
To potatoes, add celery, onions, and chopped egg whites.
Mash yokes and mix with remaining ingredients. Fold into salad.

Resist eating it all before your guests arrive.


Pear Pomegranate Salad (alla Frannie)

I didn't measure anything, so the measurements are guesses for the salad I made Friday for our family, which used just 1 pear.
Baby spinach
~1/3 c. Pecan halves
1/2 container crumbled goat cheese
1 Bijou pear (Bijou are better than Bartlett's for the salad, since they're firmer)
Lemon juice
Seeds of 1/2 of a large Pomegranate

Dressing ingredients:
~1/4 c. Olive oil
~1/6 c. Balsamic
~1/2 tbsp Honey
~1 tbsp Whole grain mustard
Salt & pepper

Add the dressing ingredients into a jar and shake. Taste and add more of whatever is needed. I tried to keep the ratio of mustard to honey 2-1, so that the dressing wasn't too sweet on top of the pears and pomegranates. Note: these amounts make extra dressing - you won't need this all for one salad.
Toast the pecans in a dry pan for a few minutes until they start to brown.
Seed the Pomegranate if you start with a whole one.*
Core and slice the pear into thin slices. Put a little lemon juice on them to keep them from browning.
Dress the spinach (you won't use all the dressing - just make sure the leaves are coated). Add some of the pecans, pomegranates, and goat cheese and toss. Arrange the pear slices on top of the salad and garnish with the remaining pecans, pomegranates, and goat cheese.

*To seed the pomegranate: Cut off the top and bottom, then slice through the skin vertically top to bottom on each of the ridges (usually 5 slices). Gently pull apart. Fill a mixing bowl with water. Submerge a piece of the pomegranate and gently pull the seeds away from the rind. The seeds will fall to the bottom of the bowl and the rind will float. Repeat until you've seeded the whole pomegranate. Skim the rind off the top, scan the seeds for bits of rind and clean them. Skim the rind again. Repeat until the seeds look clean. Pour into a mesh strainer to drain the water.


Pasta and Peas Salad (alla David Quick)

16 oz. pasta (small shells are best)
3 cups frozen peas
1/2 cup mayonaise
5 Tbsp onion powder
2.5 Tbsp dill
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Soak peas in cold water. They should thaw, but remain cold.
Cook pasta. Let cool.
Mix everything. If you're lucky, peas get lodged in the shells.


Beef Brisket

In mom's own words:

Here's how I do the brisket.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Place the brisket in a roasting pan and cover the pan with aluminum
foil, folding over the edges to seal.
Bake for 2 hours, for a brisket about 4-5 pounds. (Adjust according to
weight, with an 8-10 pound brisket taking 4 hours.)
After the two hours, carefully uncover the meat and drain off the
liquid. (Be careful not to burn yourself from the steam as your uncover
the meat, or from the hot juices.)
Spoon 2 cups of barbecue sauce over top and sides of the meat and
recover with the foil.
Bake for 2 hours, checking occasionally to see if more barbecue sauce is
needed. (Adjust time accordingly for larger brisket, up to 4 hours.)
To serve, cut across the grain of the meat.

I use a "from scratch" barbecue sauce. Let me know if you want the
recipe for another time.


Czech Pork Roast (and Prime Rib and Leg-of-Lamb)

A rib pork roast. (Others do this with a loin pork roast.)
Carroway seeds

Cook in a pan at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes (seering).
Add water (for sauce) to pan. Sprinkle carroway seeds on roast and cook at 325 degrees. Cook until digital thermometer reads 155 degrees.

Rib roast (prime rib) and leg-of-lamb are done similarly. Rib roast sprinkled with salt and pepper before seering. For the lamb, slices are cut into the meat and stuffed with chopped garlic.


Cooking Chicken Split Breast on the Grill

Heat grill to 450 degrees. (Later said "400 - try medium")
Put breasts on, bone side down. Keep grill closed at 450 degrees.
Wait 4 minutes. Turn breasts. Baste (bone side) with sauce. Close grill.
Wait 3 minutes. Turn. Baste (skin side). Close.
Keep turning and basting every 3 minutes until done. (Use your fancy digital thermometer to tell it is at least 150 degrees.)


Chicken Tetrazini

(Serves 4)
Aunt Joan did this with Turkey, Fettucini, and Portabello mushrooms

4 cups cooked spaghetti (about 1/2 lb.)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3 Tbsp. dry sherry
1 recipe Velouté sauce (included below)
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
8 or more slices of cooked chicken

Preheat over to 400 degrees.
Butter a 2 qt. baking dish and spread cooked spaghetti in it.
Stir nutmeg and sherry into Velouté sauce and set aside.
Melt butter into skillet, add mushrooms, cook & stir until soft.
Spoon 1/2 sauce on to spaghetti,
place chicken and 'shrooms on top,
then spoon on remaining sauce.
Sprinkle with cheese and cook for 30 minutes.


Velouté sauce (for Chicken Tetrazini)

2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 cup hot chicken broth
1/3 cup heavy cream

Melt butter in heavy bottom pan.
Stir in flour and blend over moderate heat until smooth.
Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes
Add broth, continue to stir as sauce thickens
Bring to boil, lower heat, cook 2 more minutes
Pour in cream; heat thoroughly


Chili

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 med. onion, chopped
1-2 pieces garlic, chopped
2 Bay leaves
Chili powder
15 oz. can of kidney beans
15 oz. can of cannellini beans
16 oz. can of diced tomatos
8 oz. can of tomato paste

Brown meat, onions and garlic (Add a little oil if meat is too lean.)
Drain off fat after browning
Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil
Lower heat, cover, and cook about 1 hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes


Turkey Chili (from Chowhound, but similar to Margaret's) (Easy; takes about an hour.)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium red bell pepper, medium dice
1 medium yellow onion, medium dice
2 medium garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 pound ground turkey
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock
2 (14-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 bay leaf

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.
Add the bell pepper, onion, and garlic, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened. (About 5 to 8 minutes.)
Increase the heat to medium high, add the turkey, and cook. Break up the turkey into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until it’s no longer pink and is just cooked through. (About 4 to 6 minutes.)
Add the chili powder, measured salt, oregano, cumin, cayenne, and cinnamon. Stir to coat the turkey and vegetables, and cook until fragrant. (About 1 minute.)
Add the tomatoes with their juices, and the broth or stock. Stir to combine, and bring to a simmer.
Add the beans and return to a simmer.
Add the bay leaf. Reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld. (About 30 minutes.)
Remove the bay leaf. Taste and season with additional salt as needed. Serve with the cheese and sour cream on top. I love eating it with Fritos Scoops.


Ham and Noodles

16 oz. egg noodles
12 oz. cheddar cheese
36 oz. ham (3 times as much ham as cheese)
1/2 stick of margarine

Cook noodles
Cube cheese and ham
Melt margarine on noodles
Stir ham and cheese into noodles
Cook for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.


Pollo al Limone Almond

from Chtistianne Russo Ricchi SAS class of 1973

1 large chicken
I large lemon, sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 sprigs sage, finely chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. butter
3 cups white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400.
Clean wash and dry chicken.
Combine garlic rosemary, salt and pepper.
Stuff chicken with 3/4 fo fresh herb mixture and sliced lemon.
Tie as you would a roast.
Rub the remaining herbs on outside and around legs of chicken.
Place chicken in a roasting pan with olive oil and bake until golden brown.
Add white wine and lemon Juice and roast for 10 minutes more.
Remove from oven, add chicken broth and deglaze pan over medium heat.
Remove chicken from pan and reduce sauce by half.
Then add butter and flour to thicken sauce.
Cut chicken into serving pieces and garnish with lemon slices and sauce.
Serve with potatoes roasted in olive oil, garlic, and rosemary.


Kibby (pronounced "kib-ba") (Syrian/Lebonese meat dish)

1 lb. ground lamb or beef, (no leaner than 85%)*
1 cup #2 cracked wheat
1 large onion, sliced
1-2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup pignola nuts - optional

Cover cracked wheat with water and let soak to soften while you ...
Grease baking dish and ...
Saute onion, pine nuts, cinnamon, and no more than 1/4 lb. of the meat in a fry pan until onion begins to brown.
Mix cracked wheat and ground meat. Add extra cold water if needed.
Take about half of the mixture and pat it into the bottom of your baking dish. Cover with the onion mixture. Top with the remaining ground meat mixture - flatten portions of it in your hands and use to cover the onion mixture, patting sections together until you have a solid surface.
Cut through on the diagonal, and then in parallel lines until you have made diamond-shaped portions.
Bake at 350F about 1/2 hour.

NOTES:
* You might even want to use ground chuck. With the leaner meat, the result is too dry.
Use a ceramic 8 inch square ( or equivalent) baking dish. I have used my 1 1/2 qt. corning ware dish, and also another dish that is about 10 x 6, which means that the kibby is not quite so thick, but it works. I don't bake it quite so long so it doesn't dry out.
Recipe doubles easily


Lamb Chops on the Grill

Dust chops with garlic powder before grilling. Be careful not to overcook!


Lorenzo's Clams (from Uncle Larry)

Clams (little neck, small, dozen per person)
can of white clam sauce, 15oz
4 or 5 cloves of garlic
olive oil
parsley
dry white wine
pecarino romano cheese
linguini, 1 lb

Start water boiling for linguini, and cook it as usual.

Put clams into 16 qt. pot (spaghetti pot)
Add a little water (less than halfway up the clams)
Boil
As clams open, immediately remove them and put them aside.
KEEP THE WATER

Chop the garlic in thick slices.
Put garlic into small microwaveable dish
Pour enough olive oil to submerge garlic
Cover
Microwave until it bubbles (30 to 60 seconds) (This brings out flavor of garlic.)

Put garlic and olive oil into clam water
Add can of white clam sauce (The can is an easy way to get spices.)
Add half a glass of wine
Add parsley
Cook until linguini is done. If watery, keep cooking to boil off water

Put linguini in bowl
Put clams on linquini
Pour sauce over linguini and clams
Serve.


Marinated Steak

1/3 cup wine vinegar
1/4 cup catsup
2 Tbsp. oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients
Put meat in marinade.
Keep in fridge as long as you think safe
(Mom does 2 days, I think)
Broil
(for a 3/4 inch steak, usually 4 minutes on one side and 3 on the other)


Meat Loaf

1.25 lb. lean ground beef
1 to 2 eggs
Chopped celery 1/2 cup-ish (including the leaves)
1 medium onion
Chopped parsley
Dash of Worcestershire
3-5 slices of damp bread
15 oz. can of Hunt's chunky tomato sauce

Mix all ingredients except sauce
Shape into a loaf
Grease pan
Put loaf on pan
Cook 45 minutes @ 400 degrees.
Dump sauce on top of loaf
Cook 15 more minutes.

Mom's Notes:
Recipe doubles easily. If you are in a hurry, form into two loaves for baking. Otherwise, figure on 1 1/2 hours for baking time.
I sometimes include some powdered milk and a 1/4 cup of wheat germ, just for nutritional sake.
White breads and wheat breads work well - although I usually try to include some white bread. Rye bread and sour dough bread give a different flavor, so I don't use them. I've used "old" hamburger or hot dog rolls also, if I've had some left over. I don't like to use Italian type breads or rolls - the crust never breaks up enough to mix in easily. Some people use bread crumbs, but they give the loaf a different texture. You may recall that I also added the "crumbs" from the Chex cereals that I would collect - but usually for the double recipe where their flavor wouldn't dominate - and where there were at least also a couple of slices of bread.
Sometimes, I would dice up some cheese and mix it into the meatload, if I had some stray pieces in the fridge - usually cheddar, colby, monterey jack. You can experiment a little if you want to.


Meat Pies (Syrian/Lebonese)

Dough:
1 1/8 cups water
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups bread flour
1 ½ tsp salt
1 pkg regular yeast (not fast rise)
Add ingredients to bread maker and have it kneed the dough for 20 min.
Turn out onto board and cover.
Let rise for 1 hr.

Filling:
½ lb ground meat, beef or lamb
1 large onion chopped
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 cup pine nuts
Salt, pepper, allspice to taste.
Brown meat and onions lightly in pan.
Add pine nuts, yogurt, and spices. Drain excess water.

Divide dough into 12 pieces.
For each piece:
Flatten into a 5 to 6 inch circle.
Place large spoon (serving spoon size) of filling into center of each dough circle.
Fold in sides and pinch the corners into a square star with meat filling in the center.
Place on cookie sheet.
Let rise in refrigerator until needed. (Maximum of 12 hours.)
Take out of refrigerator and let sheet warm for 30 min before baking.
Bake at 400F for about 15 minutes, until dough is browned.


Mushroom Chicken

Put chicken thighs in oven pan.
Pour a can of Cream of Mushroom soup over top.
Bake as usual. (About 45 minutes at 400 degrees.)


Cooking Ribs in the Oven

Cook 20 to 30 minutes at 450 degrees.
Sauce & turn.
Cook 60 minutes at 350 degrees,
Sauce & turn every 20 minutes.


Cooking Ribs on the Grill

On a cool fire, cook for 40 minutes,
Sauce and turn every 5 minutes.


Steamed Mussels (for linguine) from Margaret

2 lbs. live mussels (I bought Prince Edward Island mussels at HEB.)
1 cup dry white wine (I used about 1 1/4 cup of leftover Prosecco.)
2 large shallots, finely chopped (1 bulb)
2 fresh garlic cloves, finely chopped (If not fresh, use more.)
1/4 tsp of sea salt
2 tsp of lemon juice
1/4 cup of fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
6 Tbs of butter divided in half (I used the unsalted Kelley Gold butter.)

Rinse and scrub mussels under cold water.
Using fingers and a paring knife, remove beards (strings that hang from the mussel shells) and discard. (HEB already did this step for me. Yay!)
In a large stock pot set over medium heat combine: wine, shallots, garlic, salt, lemon juice and half the butter.
Simmer for 5 minutes on a low boil.
Add mussels, cover, and increase heat to high
Cook until all the mussels are open. This is about 5 minutes. (Some mussels may never open and that’s ok.)
Remove the mussels into a serving dish and leave the liquid. (Discard unopened mussels.)
Stir in the remaining butter and the parsley.
Once the butter is melted, pour the liquid over the mussels.
Serve immediately over linguine or with fresh bread.


Stuffed Porkchops

Pepperidge farms herb seasoned stuffing
applesauce
raisins
cheese
cinnamon
+ pairs of matching porkchops (thin cut = half-inch thick)

Mix ingredients for stuffing. I would guess 6 parts stuffing to 2 parts cheese to 1 part raisins (by volume). Lots of cinnamon. Enough applesauce so that it sticks together and is damp.
Place stuffing between pairs of porkchops on oven pan. It's basically a sandwich where the porkchops are the bread and the stuffing is the filling.
Cook at 400 degrees until chops are throughly done. (Lift the largest upper porkchop to see if it is cooked on its stuffing-side.)

Stuffing with Sausage

15 lb. turkey (optional)
1 box wild rice
1 cup of white rice (cooked in 2 cups of water)
1 lb. breakfast sausage (e.g., Bob Evans)
2 medium onions
celery (including some leaves)

Cook wild rice.
Cook white rice.
Fry sausage.
Fry mushrooms, onions and celery.
Mix.
Stuff and cook turkey.

Casserole version: Add chopped turkey/chicken/shrimp and a can of Cream of Mushroom soup. If using poultry, you might want to add some poultry seasoning or some thyme or sage, to taste. Mix together all ingredients and put into greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees until heated through, or microwave.


Tuna Casserole

6 to 9 oz. Tuna (Chunk white or solid white)
1 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 oz. Chow Mein noodles

Drain tuna.
Mix ingredients, except for 1/3 of the noodles
Sprinkle remaining noodles on top
Bake 15 minutes at 375 degrees

NB: Usually served with peas.


Yebra (Syrian/Lebonese stuffed grape leaves)

30+ grape leaves, jarred or fresh.*
1 cup rice (UNCOOKED - will cook inside grape leaf)
1 lb. ground lamb or beef (no leaner than 85%)**
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp tomato paste
8-10 garlic cloves
Lemon juice. Fresh is best. About 2 Tbsp. fresh, so 1-2 lemons, depending on size.

If you're using fresh grape leaves, cover them with boiling water and let sit for 15 min. or so to soften.

6 Qt. Dutch oven works well
Combine ground meat, rice and spices, mixing well.
If you're using jarred grape leave, rinse them in warm water.
Drain grape leaves.

To make each roll:
Take a grape leaf and cut out stem. If very thick, cut a little bit up past where leaf starts.
Lay leaf flat on work surface, with veined side down, and (former) stem end toward you.
Overlap the bottoms of the leaf to cover where the stem was cut out.
Take a little of the ground meat mixture and form a little cigar-shaped roll. (Amount will depend on size of leaf.)
Place on grape leaf, perpendicular to the "stem.".
Fold bottom and sides of grape leaf inwards to cover, and then roll away from you, using a slight amount of pressure.
As you work, take the leaves that are not so nice and lay some on the bottom of the pot you are using. You will need to cover the bottom of the pot and a little way up the sides.
When finished rolling, put the rolls in the pot, in rows, packing tightly. (You don't want leaves to unroll.) Alternate direction of rolls for each layer. Put garlic cloves in among the rolls.
You need to put something on top of the rolls to hold them down while they cook - either a dish or sometimes I use the removable bottom of a cake pan, in which case I put a CorningWare dish filled with water on top of that.
Add lemon juice and enough water to cover the grape leaves/reach the dish.
Cover pot, bring to boil, lower heat, and cook about 20 min. - more if you like your rice softer.

Serve hot or cold. Can use lemon juice they were cooked in to dip/sauce.
Makes about 20-24.
* Larger jars, with 3 sets of rolled leaves, have about 60-75 leaves. Smaller jars have about 35 leaves. (NEED TO VERIFY THESE COUNTS.)
** You might even want to use ground chuck - with the leaner meat, the result is too dry.


Homemade Pasta (lasagna noodles, spaghetti, etc.)

3 cups of flour (I used "all-purpose")
4 large eggs

Use a large counter or cutting board.
Put the flour on it in a ring, making a "volcano".
Crack the eggs into the center of the ring/volcano.
Scramble the eggs with a fork and slowly add more and more flour to the mix.
When it is all mixed, form a ball of dough.
Flour the counter.
Kneed the ball of dough for 2 to 3 minutes.
Ball of dough should be dry but also stay together as a ball, not crumble. Add flour or egg/water as needed.
Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit for 20 minutes.
Make your pasta: roll out, run through machine, and cut!

Makes 1 lb. of pasta. That's good for 1 lasagna at the thinnest setting ("6" on my machine). I think next time, I'll use twice as much and make thicker noodles.


Spaghetti Sauce (tomato sauce)

8 boxes of Strained Tomatoes 26oz (750g) (Mom used Pomi brand)
2 cans of Tomato Sauce 15oz (Mom uses Hunts or Contadina)
4 cans of Tomato Paste 6oz (Mom used Contadina)
1 whole-damn-bulb of garlic (20+ cloves?!)
2 medium-large onions
8 to 12 sprigs of parsley (leaves and some stems)
12 large basil leaves
Oregano (optional)
Red pepper (optional)
2 lb. ground beef
lamb shank (optional)
cheese (1/2 Parmesan, 1/2 Romano) (if no dairy issues)
8oz of mushrooms (Mom used "white" variety) (if no Fran)

Get a 12 quart pot.
Add tomatoes, sauce, paste, parsley and basil.
(Optional) Add oregano, red pepper and any other spices.
(Optional) Add cheese.
Start heat, usually at low - it is very easy to burn if not stirring often!
In a fry pan, saute onions and mushrooms in olive oil.
Later, add crushed garlic to fry pan (it will burn if added early).
Keep frying until onions are soft, almost mushy.
Add fry pan contents to pot.
Fry ground beef (not browned - do not make it crispy)
Drain ground beef and add to pot.
(Optional) Add lamb shank.
Simmer for 3 hours, while stirring occasionally.

If you make meatballs, you can cook them and add them to the pot too. With meatballs, she usually uses less ground beef. You can also saute sausage and add it to the sauce.


Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef
2 eggs
1/4 cup celery leaves and some stem
Breadcrumbs (Mom used Progresso "Italian Style")
parsley
garlic
cheese (2 teaspoons?) (Probably 1/2 Parmesan, 1/2 Romano) (if no dairy issues)

Mix ingredients. The amount of breadcrumbs varies, depending on meat and eggs. The resulting mixture was pretty firm.
Roll into balls, 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" in diameter.
Saute in olive oil. If you're throwing them in sauce, just crisp the outsides and let center cook in sauce pot.

When I made it with mom, we got 16 meatballs. She said she usually gets 24.


Lasagna

As written out for my friend, Stephanie, who was in Mexico (hence the metric measurements)

Let's see - my recipe for Lasagna. Hold on - I'll go dig for it...

Here we go... (uncrinkles 7 year old sheet of paper) The cheese part (just mix it all together) is:

1.5 lb (750g) of Ricotta cheese
.75 lb (375g) of Shreaded mozzarella cheese
3 (3) eggs
Parsley
3/4 cup (???) of grated Parmesan cheese

Let's see 3/4 cup is 3/8 pint, which is 3/16 quart. A quart is almost a liter. So, between .15 and .2 liters.

You'll need about 16-18 sheets of normal lasagna pasta. (I used 9 super-sheets that I got from a local Italian deli.)
And a big bottle of sauce (I think it's like 32 oz (1kg).) Sometimes I needed a little more than one.

So.....

Sauce the dish - this will prevent it from sticking later.
lay down a layer of noodles. Make them hang over the edge of the pan. At the end, you fold these over the top so it looks like it's just one big thing.
Lay down layers as you please - I usually do this:
sauce
noodles
Thick layer of cheese (about 2/3 of mixture)
noodles
sauce + filling (sausage & meatballs for me, probably sauteed squash for you)
noodles
thin layer of cheese (about 1/3 of mixture)
noodles
noodles + sauce (uses up remaining noodles and most of sauce)
After the final layer of noodles, fold the ones you left hanging off the edge over the top.
Then I add a bit of sauce to get the top and sides wet and sprinkle some Parmesan on top.

That's about it!

If you don't want to do so much, you can do lasagna rolls. This is what my mom does for small groups.
You need the same cheese mixture (only less of it), sauce (less of that too), and some spinach.
You lay out a sheet of lasagna pasta, cover it in sauce, then spinach, then cheese mixture.
Roll it up. They usually end up being about the size of a fist. (5ish centimeters in diameter)
Pack them in a pan and then cover them in more sauce.

Ahhh yes - let me not forget to tell you how to cook it! Preheat the oven and then bake if for 325 Fahrenheit (163 Celsius) for 30 minutes (500 millihours). :) If you build it really thick, like I tend to do, it may take longer.


Lasagna Rolls

1.5 lb. ricotta cheese
3/4 lb. grated mozarella
3 eggs
Parsley
3/4 cup grated parmesan
1 box of noodles
lotsa tomato sauce

Mix cheese
Sauce dish
Roll and place in dish so that the free end of the roll is down.
(so the don't unroll)
Sprinkle cheese on top
Cook 30 minutes at 325 degrees.


Apple Crisp (uses crumb topping)

Mix together:
6 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
½ c sugar
2 tsps. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp cinnamon – or more
Put into a greased 1 ½ qt. casserole dish.
Make crumb topping.
Sprinkle crumb topping over apple mixture.
Bake at 350F for approximately 45 minutes or until apple juice is bubbling. If crumb topping starts to get too dark, cover lightly with aluminum foil.


Crumb Topping (used by apple crisp and fruit pies)

Mix together in a small bowl:
½ cup sugar
3/4 cups flour
½ tsp cinnamon
Cut in 6 Tbs. softened butter until crumbly.
Add 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts if desired. (I think this only applies to the apple crisp recipe.)


Aunt Joan's Tannies (tan brownies)

2/3 cup butter
1 lb. brown sugar
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts, broken
1 small package butterscotch morsels (6 oz)
1 small package chocolate (6 oz)

Cream butter. Beat in sugar until light.
Add eggs and beat well.
Add vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients.
Add nuts and morsels. Dough will be very stiff!
Spread in greased 9X13 pan.
Bake at 350 for about 37 min. (35 for soft or 40 for dry brownies.)
Cool and cut.


Tiramisu (from Joao's girlfriend Giorgia)

5 eggs
5 tablespoons sugar
500g (~1 lb.) Mascarpone cheese
Ladyfingers (a lot!)
2 espresso-cups of espresso
2 espresso-cups of milk
2 espresso-cups of Marsala liqueur (use "Marsala cream" (made with eggs), but "dry" will work) (Me: I think she means "Cremovo Marsala all'Uovo" and Marsala dry wine.)
cocao powder (unsweetened) (used on top)
2 teaspoons sugar

Separate the egg yolks from the white.
In the first mixer bowl, whip the white until stiff peaks form (at least 3 minutes).
In the second mixer bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and lemon-colored, about 1 minute.
Add mascarpone cheese in the second bowl, beating well.
Add the whipped white to the mascarpone cream, by a wooden spoon, very very softly.
In a dish, mix the 2 small cup of coffee with 1 small cup of milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
In another dish, mix the 2 small cup of Marsala liqueur with 1 small cup of milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar (if you find the Marsala cream, no sugar is necessary).
Place in the box a layer of ladyfingers quickly soaked in the coffee mix.
Cover with a layer of mascarpone cream.
Place in the box a layer of ladyfingers quickly soaked in the Marsala mix.
Cover with a layer of mascarpone cream.
Place in the box a layer of ladyfingers quickly soaked in the Marsala mix.
Cover with a layer of mascarpone cream.
Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight (whip it out half an hour before to serve it).
Garnish cocoa immediately before to serve it.


Apple Cake

3 cups finely chopped apples (peeled and cored first!)
2 cups sugar (You might want to try less, maybe 1 3/4 c. Sometimes it depends on the sweetness of the apple.)
2 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup chopped nuts (I prefer walnuts)

Mix apples, sugar, eggs, and oil.
Sift/mix together. dry ingredients. Add to first mixture.
Add vanilla.
Beat well.
Stir in nuts.
Pour into greased and floured 10” tube pan.*
Bake at 350F for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

NOTE: Great served with whipped cream on the side!
* I think two loaf pans are the equivalent of one tube pan. You might need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.


Chocolate Cake from Cathy Kozak (usually made with Chocolate Frosting)

Cream together:
½ cup Crisco
2 eggs
1 ½ cup sugar
Mix together and add to the above:
½ cup warm water
½ cup cocoa
Sift together:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. Baking powder
2 tsp. Baking soda
pinch of salt
Mix together:
½ cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla
Add the sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk mixture, until mixed together.
To this mixture, add:
1 cup Boiling water
Mix.
Pour into 2 greased and floured 9” round cake pans.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 min.


Chocolate Frosting

1 lb. powdered sugar (1 box)
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
pinch of salt
4 tubes of Nestle Choco-bake (if you can find it!)
milk (enough "for spreading consistency"

Made in food processor. Add first 5 ingredients. Blend.
Then add chocolate.
Add milk as needed.

NOTE: Instead of Choco-bake, tried 8 oz. of Ghiradelli unsweetened chocolate. Came out bitter. Maybe try semi-sweet or milk-chocolate? Chocolate was melted before adding to mixture. Be careful not to burn chocolate in the microwave. I melted chocolate by microwaving at 50% power for 1.5 minutes, then stirring, and repeating that until done.

NOTE: Next time, can replace each tube/envelope of Choco-Bake with 3 Tbps of cocoa powder and 1 Tbps of vegitable oil or butter. So, 12 Tbps of cocoa powder and 4 of oil/butter.


Lemon Meringue Pie (comes from the box for Argo Corn Starch)

1 baked (9-inch) Pie Crust

Filling:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1 1/2 cups cold water
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten (Keep egg whites - they're used for Meringue topping!)
Grated peel of 1 lemon
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter OR margarine

Meringue:
3 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine 1 cup sugar and corn starch in medium saucepan. Gradually stir in water until smooth.
Stir in egg yolks.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, and boil 1 minute.
Remove from heat.
Stir in lemon peel, lemon juice and butter.
Spoon hot filling into pie crust.

Beat egg whites in small bowl with mixer at high speed until foamy.
Mix 1/3 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon corn starch and gradually beat into egg whites.
Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Spread meringue evenly over hot filling, sealing to edge of crust.

Bake 15 to 20 minute or until golden.
Cool on wire rack at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.


Aunt Joan's Pecan Pie

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix the following contents and put into the pie shell:
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup of pecans (usually broken into halves.)

Cook for 10 minutes at 450 degrees,
Then reduce the oven to 350 degrees and cook for 35 more minutes.
Done when you can stick a butterknife into the pie about 2/3rds of the way to the center and it comes out clear. It should be roughly 200 degrees.
... and don't forget the whipped cream!


Manhattan

5 parts bourbon
1 part sweet vermouth
1 part dry vermouth
dash of bitters
maraschino cherries

Put liquids in shaker with ice.
Shake.
Pour into glass.
Add cherries.


Maraschino Cherries

3 lbs. Bing cherries
12 jars, 8-ounces each
750ml (3.17 cups) Maraschino Liqueur (I used Luxardo)
3 cups water
3 cups sugar
1 medium lemon (juice AND peel)
1.5 tsp almond extract
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean
.5 tsp ground ginger

Pit the cherries. (Careful, stems are fragile. I used an Oxo pitter. It seemed best to go sidewise through the cherry. I cut a large X where the pit would be prushed out, to prevent the cherry being ripped apart. For damaged cherries, push the pit out the place where the damage was cut out. (Damaged cherries sometimes looked better than the "good" ones!))
Make simple syrup. (Combine sugar and water. Boil. Stir until mixed. Let cool.)
Put cherries in jars. (We did ~14 cherries per jar. Probably should have done 12, so that they sit below the liquid.)
Pour 1/4 cup of simple syrup into each jar.
Pour 1/4 cup of liqueur into each jar. (Jars should have more than 1/4 inch of space left, so that canning works properly.)
Mix lemon juice, almond extract and powdered ginger. Distribute evenly to jars. (About 3/4 teaspoon each.)
In each jar put 1/4 inch cinnamon stick, 1/3 inch vanilla bean, 3/4 inch square piece of lemon peel. (We broke the cinnamon stick lengthwise and put in 1/2 inch pieces.)
Screw on lids "finger tight". (If too tight, air can't escape during canning.)
Put cans in pot. Fill pot with water, just below the lids on the jars.
Bring to boil. Boil for 25 minutes.
Remove and let cool.

We made 12 jars. 10 good ones and 2 "rejects" without stems. By volume, the fruit takes up about half of each jar.

Boiling for 25 minutes may have been longer than necessary. Also, the alcohol in the bottles might have been enough to preserve the food. The liqueur is 32% alcohol, which means the jars may be above the 10% that someone on the internet claimed was sufficient. If you try that, do more research on that 10% and make sure there's enough liquid to completely cover the cherries.

This was the recipe that Mom and I tried Jun 17, 2017. We experimented with the "rejects" by putting in a piece of ginger root with them.