Melanies Artichoke Dip

16 oz cream cheese softened
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup mayo
1/2 can artichokes

salt and pepper
1 ts or dash of worcestershire
4-5 dashes of tabasco

Pour into small rectangle cake pan
The johnny cake pan would be perfect.

Bake at 350 for 30 min.

Nikki's classic Italian Spaghetti Bolognese

Linguini or spaghetti

1 onion
1 stalk celery
3 carrots diced
minced garlic

saute vegetables in OO til onion is translucent.

fry up 1# each of lean ground round and lean sausage.

Add 1 32 oz an of petite chopped tomatoes, undrained. Add a little tomato sauce if desired.

Add the veggies to this mixture and abt 1/2 cup red wine.

Sprinkle abt 1 T sugar and  about a 1 T to 1/4 cup of crushed basil leaves.

Simmer for an hour till all flavors blend. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour over pasta (no cheese)

Vegetable Stir fry on the Side

To a wok add, vegetable oil or coconut oil (healthiest), a little sambal, some wet minced garlic and ketjap. This is the basis for every stir fry I do.

Add any fresh standard stir fry vegetables: red, yellow, green peppers, onions, green onions, broccoli, pea pods, julienned carrots, whatever.

Then add a little water or broth, cover and steam till vegetables are crisp tender. Add a few chopped raw peanuts and some chopped fresh pineapple.

Now add some precooked brown rice, heat through and season to taste with salt and pepper, sambal and ketjap.

NOTE:  I use long cooking brown rice  (tastes best) that I have pre-frozen in meal size amounts. Adding chicken, shrimp or pork would make this a complete meal

Tijuana Tacos or carne asada tacos

 There are American tacos (shredded cheese, lettuce and ground beef) :(
or
there are authenitic Mexican tacos wheich we got used to living in San Diego and travelling to Mexico so much.

So here's the real deal:

Soft corn tortillas (if possible, buy these in a hispanic market and not a grocery store)

thinly sliced grilled beef (I use London broil cut)

pico de gallo (finely chopped red onion, cilantro and diced plum tomato - firm,  jalapeno pepper , salt and pepper, and a touch of lime juice

guacamole (smashed avocado, a little garlic salt, and some fresh salsa)

chopped cilantro

Slice the beef and grill hot and fast
have other ingredients ready
grill the tortillas quickly also and then assemble the tacos.

goes great with Spanish rice and black bean salsa

Chicken Soft Tacos

4 frozen boneless chicken breasts
1 jar (26 oz) salsa
1 cup sour cream
flour tortillas

Place chicken in greased slow cooker. Pour salsa over the top. Cover and cook on hi 6-8 hrs. or on low for 10-12 hrs. Shred the chicken  by pulling apart with 2 forks. During the last hour of cooking, stir in sour cream. Makes 6-8 servings

Sunday Crock Pot chicken

boneless chicken breasts or cut up, bone in breasts

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 C sour cream or 8 oz cream cheese




Place chicken in crock pot and add remaining ingredients except sour cream or cheese.
Cover and cook on hi for 4 hrs or low  for 6-8 hrs. One hour before serving, stir in the sour cream.

Serve with "smashed potatoes" and a green vegetable

Crock Pot Burritos

1 # cooked and drained ground beef (gravel)
2 16 oz cans of refried beans
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
                                      1/2 C water
                                       flour torillas

Combine all ingredients except tortills in greased slow cooker. Cover and heat on low 6-10 hrs Spread hot bean mixture on tortillas and fill with favorite burrito toppings. fold and enjoy.

Mom's Cinnamon Rolls

I think this is the kids' favorite thing that I make.
I would make a lot at one time, in pie pans and everyone wanted the middle! We had these every Christmas morning.

In a large bowl combine:

2/3 C powdered milk
1 C sugar
2 squares margarine
2 C boiling water

Soften 3 T yeast in 1 C warm water and let sit a couple of minutes

Add yeast to 6 beaten eggs, than add to milk mixture

Add 1 T salt

Sift enough flour into milk mixture to make a soft dough. Beat thoroughly. Turn out onto floured board and knead barely enough so that it can be handled. (very soft)

Place in a greased (oil) bowl. Grease the top of the dough.
Cover and let rise tll double (about 30 min)

divide the dough into 2 parts. Let one part sit while you roll the other

Roll onto counter into a rectangle shape ; about 1/2 in thick (no more)
brush on butter, then sprinkle on brown or white sugar, then cinnamon.
Roll up and cut into 1 inch rolls

I always used oiled round pie tins because when I've used a cookie sheet or cake pan, the inside ones are undercooked. Each tin fits about 7 rolls. The rolls should barely touch each other so that ther is enough room to rise. Put in a warm place to rise.

350 20-25 min ....Drizzle with thin frosting after they come out.

Frosting: cream some butter, add a couple drops of vanilla, and a good amount of pd sugar. Add milk to desired consistency.

Sugar Cookies

My mother's recipe

1/2 C butter

1 C sugar

1 egg or 2 egg yolks

1 T cream or milk

1/2 ts vanilla

1/2 ts salt

1 ts baking pd

1 1/2 C flour

For richer cookies, increase butter to 1 C and add 1 egg yolk

Beat sugar, egg, milk, and vanilla,

then add the rest, spoon out dough onto cookie sheet

Flatten a little with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.

Add more flour for rolled cookies

Makes 50 - 60 small cookies

375 - 8 min

Snickerdoodles

1/2 C shortening

1/2 C margarine

2 3/4 C flour

2 eggs

2 ts cr of tartar

1 ts soda

1/4 ts salt

1 1/2 C sugar

Roll into balls. roll in 2 T with 2 ts cinnamon. Place 2 in apart

400 for 8 min. till lightly browned makes 6 doz

My mother's white cake and Hungarian Icing

My favorite cake growing up! It was all about the icing for me, very dense like a ganache almost. Mom always made this on one layer, in a cake pan.

white cake

2 cups sifted swandown cake flour

3 ts bak pd

1/4 ts salt

1/2 C butter or shortening,

cream together with 1 1/4 C sugar

add

3/4 C milk

1 ts vanilla

2 egg whites (fold in at the end) beaten first? save yolk for icing

Bake at 360, 20-25 minutes

Hungarian Icing

3 squares bitter chocolate ( melt over hot water, db boiler)

1/1/2 C icing sugar (pd sugar)

2 T hot water

3 yolks

4 T butter

Pumpkin Bread or cake

350 45 min

Mix:

1 yellow cake mix

1/2 ts ginger

2 ts cinnamon

1/2 ts nutmeg

1/2 C white flour

Blend in:

2 eggs

3/4 C water

1 can Libby's pumpkin

1/2 C nut (opt)

My mother's Oatmeal Cookies

This was my my favorite cookie growing up. Mom made them all the time. Maybe she made them so often because she knew I loved them??

1 egg
1 C sugar
1/2 C solid margarine
1/2 C melted margarine
1 T molasses
1/4 C milk
1 3/4 C rolled oats
1 1/2 C flour
1/2 ts soda
1 ts cinnamon
1/2 ts salt

Beat egg and add the rest. For a thicker cookie, increase to 2 C oats and 1/3/4 C flour.

325 for about 18 min.

Ice Dream Treats

This was one of the kids favorite summer treats. I made these all the time.

1 tub cool whip
24 graham crackers
2 1/2 C milk
1 large box chocolate pudding

Mix pudding and milk , let set up and then add the cool whip.

Spread the mixture onto graham crackers 1/2 in thick and top with another graham cracker to make ice dream sandwiches. Press lightly and smotth around edges with a spatula. Freeze until firm about 3 hours. Variation: sprinkles or chopped nuts on the sides.

Twinkie Dessert

1. in a large pyrex cake pan layer split twinkies, gooey side up

2. layer of lg box vanilla pudding (mixed)

3. layer of sliced bananas

4. layer of cool whip

5. layer of sliced strawberries (cut side down)

chill till serving

Bahmi

1/2 # bacon

thin spaghetti noodles

a couple of leeks

bean sprouts

thin sliced cabbage

minced garlic

sambal oelek

ketjap

Boil up the noodles, undercook them a little. Strain but don't rinse.

Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry up in a wok.

Remove the bacon and let sit on a paper towel to crispen up.

In the bacon grease, put in 1-2 ts sambal, 2 ts wet minced garlic, a little ketjap and a pack of Bahmi goreng spices, (I usually softed the rehydrate the spices in a little bowl first, let it sit a minute ) Mix together and then add the chopped leeks and the cabbage. Stir fry quickly.

When the vegetables look wilted begin to add the noodles, the crumbled bacon and lastly the sprouts. Salt to taste. Add a little pepper also And add more ketjap to taste.

When it tastes right, add the sprouts, stir a bit and serve.

Serve with cucumber with seasoned rice wine vinegar, little salt. pepper, and a pinch of sugar

Serve with Pinda sauce also.

Grandma Boot's Potato Salad

The uniqueness of this salad is the methos of preparation, not the ingredients.

15 red potatoes
12 hard boiled eggs
3/4 C sweet pickle relish
2 C mayonnaise
1 1/2 T mustard
2 ts celery salt
1 1/2 ts seasoning salt
4 chopped green onions
1 T pickle juice

Boil and cool potatoes completely.
Separate the cooked egg yolks from the whites.
Beat together the egg yolks, relish, mayo (real), salts, onions, and pickle juice (or vinegar).
Chop the whites and fold into the yolk mixture. Peel and dice potatoes and fold into salad mixture.
Cover and chill overnight to blend flavors.

warning: 440 calories per serving

Mom's Christmas Ribbon Salad

2 (3 oz) packages lime jello
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows cut in pieces
1 cup pineapple juice
1 (8oz) pk cream cheese
1 (16 oz) crushed pinapple
1 cup cool whip
1 (3oz) lemon jello
2 (3 oz) cherry jello

Dissolve lime jello in 2 cups hot water then add 2 c cold water. Pour into a 14x10x2 clear pyrex pan or glass pedestal bowl. Chill till set.
Dissolve lemon jello in 1 cup hot water in top of dbl boiler. Add marshmallows, stir to melt.
Remove from heat. Add drained pineapple juice and cream cheese. Beat till well blended and stir in pineapple. Cool.

Fold in cool whip. Chill till thickened then pour over the lime jello. Chill till almost set.
Mix cherry jello and chill till partially thickens then pour over the pineapple layer. Chill till firm.
(I like to make this with 1/2 the middle)

Sweet Potato Souffle

This is a standard - gotta have - southern dish courtesy of Lynn Cook

TOPPING
2 lb sweet potatoes
3/4 CUP FROSTED FLAKES ) MIX 2 ING.
1/2 stick butter
1/2 CUP BROWN SUGAR ) TOGETHER
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs

1/2 STICK MELTED BUTTER ~~ SIMMER FROSTED FLAKES MIXTURE AND COOK TOGETHER ON STOVE 'TIL MELTED.
1/2 tspn vanilla
CINNAMON TO TASTE

MIX ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER, ADD TO GREASED CASSEROLE DISH
COOK FOR 20 MINUTES AT 350*, ADD TOPPING ADN COOK ANOTHER
10-15 MINUTES (UNTIL BROWN AND CRISPY!)

Melissa's Pumpkin Bars

Melissa B Nash: This is the BEST recipe ever! My friend Megan made it for a party while we were in LA, and now I make it for all of our Holiday gatherings! It is soooo easy too!


6 EGGS
1 ½ C OIL
3 C. SUGAR
1 ½ tsp VANILLA
1 LRG CAN PUMPKIN
4 ¼ C. FLOUR
1 ½ tsp BAKING SODA
1 T CINNAMON
1 ½ TSP SALT

Mix the first 5 ingredients together. In a separate bowl combine the next 4 dry ingredients and fold into the first mixture. Pour into greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 30-40 min.
Let cool. Frost with the following mixture;

1-8oz pkg cream cheese
1 cube butter
1 box (I lb) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt