Ranch Style Baked Beans

This is a very easy, very delicious recipe. I got it from my grandmother several years ago and it continues to please both guests and family members every time I make it. If only all recipes were this good.

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

1 pound ground beef

1 package onion soup mix

1/2 cup water

1 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

2 cans Pork and Beans

1 can Kidney Beans

1/2 pound shredded cheddar cheese

 

Brown ground beef and drain. Add remaining ingredients, except cheese, and mix well. Pour into a 13x9 inch cassreole dish and scatter the cheese over the top. Bake at 400 degrees for thirty minutes.

 

Serve with bread of choice.

 

Enjoy!

C

Huevos Rancheros

This is a recipe I got several years ago but I do not recall who or where I got it. It's a very easy dish to prepare. Not only for breakfast, it can be served at a brunch or dinner party, depending upon who you're entertaining. If you aren't a fan of spicy foods, leave this one alone. If you are, enjoy!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 pound sausage meat.

Fry one pound sausage meat, mild or hot depending on taste, until done. Fry it as if it were ground beef. Drain grease from the cooked sausage.

1 small onion, chopped.
1 dozen eggs
1/2 cup water
1 pound shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper

Crack eggs in a large bowl. Take a wire whisk and scramble the eggs until well mixed. Add onion, water, cheese, salt, and pepper, and mix again with the whisk. Pour into a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. Mix in the sausage meat, spreading evenly throughout the egg mixture.

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes or until the egg and sausage mixture is without any liquids left within and browned slightly on top.

 

Take one 12 ounce bottle of Chili Sauce and pour into a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until hot. Spread the hot Chili Sauce evenly over the egg mixture.

 

Take 2 - 3 tablespoons of Chili Powder and sprinkle evenly over the entire dish. (I personally use 3 tablespoons.)

 

This is best served with either toast or flour tortillas. If you use the tortillas, prepare the dish as you would a burrito.

Enjoy!
C

Cottage Pie

This is a traditional British dish that is quite similar to Shepherds Pie. It’s an easy dish to prepare and is a hit with everyone from family to guests. It’s also less expensive than Shepherds Pie due to the absence of lamb in the recipe. This is really good on a fall or winter day.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Meat and Potatoes
½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground pork
1 15 ounce can original Veg All, drained
1 dozen red potatoes
1 stick margarine
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon garlic salt
½ pound shredded cheddar cheese

Brown Gravy Recipe

2 tablespoons pan drippings from frying the lamb
2 tablespoons self rising flour
1 cup milk
½ cup water
A dash of salt and a dash of pepper

Boil the potatoes until tender (around 45 minutes.)

Fry the ground meats until brown and drain, saving 2 tablespoons of the grease. Stir in the vegetables.

To make the gravy: in a sauce pan, combine the grease and the flour and stir together over medium heat until the mixture is brown. Stir in the milk and water and continue stirring constantly until the mixture begins to thicken, around 6-8 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the meat and vegetables.

Once the potatoes are tender, drain the water from them and return to the pot. Take a potato masher and pulverize them. Add one stick margarine and one cup milk. Using an electric hand mixer, beat on medium speed until well mixed. Add the second cup of milk, one tablespoon garlic salt, and repeat the process.

In a medium, lightly greased casserole dish, put a thin layer (around half an inch) of the creamed potatoes in the bottom and spread evenly. Next, spoon in your fried meats, vegetables, and the gravy mixture. (Don’t pour or you will displace the potatoes on the bottom.) Spoon the rest of your creamed potatoes on top of the meat/vegetables and gravy and evenly spread the potatoes over all. You should have a layer of potatoes between one to two inches thick. Add the cheese on top.

Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

Serve with any vegetables and bread you choose.

Enjoy!

C

Kaldomar

Kaldomar is a dish that is very common in Scandinavian countries. I found this recipe several years ago while surfing the net looking for an easy recipe for egg rolls and first prepared it as an experiment of sorts to see what it was like. It is delicious! And it is also very easy to prepare. Extremely popular throughout Europe and some states in the American Midwest, one taste and you'll be a fan as well.

 

2 -3 quarts boiling water
1 large cabbage
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb lean ground pork
1 1/2 cups Pepperidge Farm breadcrumbs
1 small onion, minced
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup whipping cream

 

Preheat oven to 300°F

Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking pan and set aside.

 

Remove sixteen large and intact outer leaves from cabbage. Cook the leaves in boiling water for one minute or until softened and drain on paper towels.

 

In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, breadcrumbs, onion, egg, salt, allspice, and milk. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 10 minutes.

 

Divide meat mixture among cabbage leaves, placing an egg shaped mound near the stem end of each leaf. Roll into bundles, folding sides of cabbage leaves over meat mixture. Arrange cabbage rolls close together, in the buttered baking pan, with the loose ends of the leaves on the bottom. Brush rolls with melted butter. Bake for 1 hour.

 

Drain juices from the pan into a large skillet. Over high heat, bring juices to a rolling boil and cook until reduced to make a shiny glaze. Slowly stir the cream into the glaze. Bring to a boil again. Stirring occasionally, cook until thickened. Arrange cooked cabbage rolls in a shallow bowl and pour the sauce over them.

 

Serve hot.

 

Makes eight servings or sixteen cabbage rolls.

 

Enjoy!

C

Chop Suey

Contrary to popular belief, Chop Suey is a Chinese dish that did not originate in China. It is in fact American. Chop Suey became popular in the 1950's after the US armed forces returned from the Orient following the Korean War with a host of new culinary sensations that resulted in an explosion of Chinese restaurants here in the USA. No one knows exactly who first came up with Chop Suey, but it was quickly established that this dish wasn't a gift from the Chinese. (In fact, in the Chinese language "chop suey" literally translates as garbage.) But this one quickly became a huge hit with Americans who didn't know it was an invention of our own. Its popularity waned in the 70's after more authentic Chinese restaurants became the norm around the country. There are many recipes for Chop Suey but this one is my favorite. I originally got it from a Julia Child cookbook over twenty-five years ago and I still make it today.

1/4 cup shortening

1 pound stir fry cut beef

1 cup diced onions

1 1/2 cups chopped, raw cabbage

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 cups hot water

1/2 can green peas with carrots

2/3 cup cold water

2 1/2 tablespoons corn starch

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 12 ounce package La Choy chow mein noodles

 

Cut the stir fry beef into 1-2 inch chunks. Melt the shortening in a frying pan and then add the beef and onions, and fry until the beef is done. Drain the excess shortening from the meat and onions.

 

Add in the cabbage, salt and pepper, hot water, and peas with carrots. Bring to a boil. Then turn down heat, cover and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

In a separate bowl, combine the cold water, corn starch, soy sauce, and sugar. Mix well and pour over the meat and vegetables in your frying pan. Cook over medium heat for five minutes or until thickened to taste, stirring constantly.

 

Take one 12 ounce package of La Choy chow mein noodles and prepare as directed. Stir into the meat and vegetables.

 

Serve while hot. This one heats over quite well, too!

 

Enjoy!

C

Ema Datshi

Ema Datshi is a national dish of Bhutan. It is traditionally screaming hot, as are most Bhutanese dishes, but it is very good and also a perfect way to liven up any dinner party you want to give. I originally got this recipe from a British friend who didn't warn me ahead of time just how hot it is, and while I am not generally a fan of really hot foods, I found this to be delicious! If you can't stand hot, spicy foods, leave this one alone. If you can, you'll thank me for sharing this.

8 ounces chili peppers (green and of medium hotness, cut lengthwise)
1 onion, chopped lengthwise
2 tomatoes
8 ounces Danish Feta cheese (The cheese used in the Bhutanese recipe cannot be found outside Bhutan.)
5 cloves of garlic, finely crushed
3 leaves of cilantro
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups cooked red or white rice

Put the chilies and chopped onions in a pot of water (about 12 ounces). Add the vegetable oil. Then boil on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add tomato and garlic and boil for another 2 minutes.

Add cheese and let it remain for 2-3 minutes.

Add coriander and turn off the heat. Stir. Put a lid on the pot for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve a plate at a time on a bed of red or white rice.

Enjoy!
C

Easy Potato Soup

This is a very easy recipe that I learned from my dad. It really hits the spot on a cool autumn day.

 

4 large potatoes

1/2 large sweet onion

1 small canned ham

2 cans Swanson chicken broth

 

Wash your potatoes, peel them, wash them again and dice them up. Put in a soup pot. Wash and peel your onion. Cut it half in two and dice up one half for the soup. Add to potatoes. (I always put the other half of the onion in a ziplock bag and refrigerate for later use.) Open your canned ham, drain, and then cut it into bite size pieces. Add to the potatoes and onions. Lastly, pour the two cans of chicken broth over your other ingredients. If all ingredients aren't covered by the broth, add extra until they are. Stir well.

 

Bring to a boil then cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the potatoes are tender. This usually takes about an hour. Stir occasionally.

 

When the soup is almost ready, you will need to take one cup of milk and one and a half tablespoons of corn starch, mixed well together, and add to the soup as a thickener. Remove from heat when your soup is the consistency you desire.

 

This is really good served with shredded cheddar cheese on top and oyster crackers, or with cornbread. Either way it's a winner.

 

Enjoy!

 

C