Herb-Roasted Potatoes

Herb-Roasted Potatoes
Serves 6


1/3 cup Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
6 medium red-skinned potatoes (2 pounds), cleaned and cut into chunks


Mix all ingredients except potatoes in small bowl. Mix in potatoes and stir to coat them well.  Pour coated potatoes into a greased 9x13x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 425F for 35 to 40 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender, stirring occasionally.

Quick Baked Potatoes

Quick Baked Potatoes
Serves 4


4 large baking potatoes
2 to 3 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
paprika
salt to taste (optional)


Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Brush cut side with butter; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, paprika and salt if desired. Place with cut side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, at 350F for 25 – 30 minutes or until tender.

Orange-Glazed Pork Tenderloins

Orange-Glazed Pork Tenderloins
Serves 4


1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin (or boneless pork chops)
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pepper to taste
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 green onions sliced
orange slices (optional)


Cut tenderloin crosswise into 12 pieces; pound each piece to 1/4-inch thickness. In a skillet, brown pork in oil; sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper. Meanwhile, combine orange juice and Worcestershire sauce; pour over the pork. Add onions. Cook over low heat until sauce is thickened and meat juices run clear. Garnish with orange slices if desired.

Parker House Rolls

Parker House Rolls
Makes 36 rolls

4 3/4 to 5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 packages Rapid Rise Yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 large egg
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted


In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat milk, water, and 1/4 cup butter until very warm (120F to 130F). Stir into dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add egg and 1/2 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough in half; roll each half to 12-inch square, about 1/4-inch thick. Cut each into 6 (2x12-inch) strips. Cut each strip into 3 (4x2-inch) rectangles. Brush each rectangle with melted butter. Crease rectangles slightly off center with dull edge of knife and fold at crease. Arrange in rows, slightly overlapping, on greased baking sheets, with shorter side of each roll facing down. Allow 1/4-inch of space between each row. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 400F for 13 to 15 minutes or until done. Remove from sheets; cool on wire rack. Brush with remaining melted butter.

Chopped Beef Stroganoff

Chopped Beef Stroganoff
Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 envelope Beefy Mushroom Recipe Soup Mix
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups water
1/2 cup sour cream
Hot cooked noodles (optional)


Cook and stir ground beef with onion in large skillet over medium-high heat until onion is tender. Stir in soup mix, flour and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. ** Stir in sour cream; heat through. Do not boil. Serve over noodles or as baked potato filling.


** Can be frozen at this point for later use. Thaw then warm over low heat until heated all the way through, then proceed with recipe.

Mini Cheese Biscuits

[taken from Quick & Easy Weekday Dinners, a Taste of Home publication]



Mini Cheese Biscuits
Makes about 1 dozen


2 cups biscuit/baking mix
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup milk
2 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
1/4 tsp garlic powder


In a bowl, combine biscuit mix, cheese, and garlic. With a fork, stir in milk just until moistened. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450F for 9 – 11 minutes or until golden brown. Combine butter and garlic powder; brush over biscuits.

Spiced Citrus Chicken & Rice

[taken from Flavors of the Season, a McCormick publication]


Spiced Citrus Chicken and Rice
Serves 4

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds)
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 lemon, cut into thick slices
3 tbsp snipped fresh Italian parsley


In a shallow dish combine flour, the 3/4 tsp salt, and the pepper. Coat chicken with flour mixture. Discard any remaining flour mixture.

In a 12-inch skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Remove chicken, reserving drippings in skillet. Set chicken aside. Add onion and celery to reserved drippings in skillet. Cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or just until vegetables are tender.

Carefully stir water, rice, the 1 1/2 tsp salt, ginger, allspice, turmeric, and cinnamon into vegetables in skillet. Bring to boiling. Return chicken to skillet; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is no longer pink. Top with lemon slices the last five minutes of cooking. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Tuna Patties

[adapted from Rock Bottom Salmon Patties at Hillbilly Housewife]


2 (6 oz) cans tuna, undrained
1 cup crushed crackers or crumbled bread
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1 tsp minced garlic
bacon grease, oil or margarine for frying

Put tuna in medium bowl. Add crushed crackers or crumbled bread. Add the pepper, sugar, garlic, and egg. Mix with hands until everything is mixed together.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of fat in a skillet. Form patties out of heaping spoonfuls of the tuna mixture and fry until crispy brown on the underside (I use medium heat and never more than 3 to a pan at a time). Carefully flip the patties and brown the remaining side. Transfer the cooked patties to a plate lined with paper towels or brown grocery bag to drain.


Note: I play with this recipe a lot, depending on my tastes at the time of cooking. I've started adding ground and powdered spices to the mix with rather delicious results.

Sometimes I also add a third can of tuna. If only using the two cans, I don't measure quite to the 1 cup mark when I measure out the crushed crackers. If using three, I go a smidge over that mark.

Sometimes, however, I dish out a little bit of the third can of tuna to the felines and try to get the measurement of what I actually use in the recipe as close to 15 oz. as possible since that is the amount the original recipe called for.

Pancakes (from scratch)

[a favorite recipe called Pete's Scratch Pancakes at recipezarr - my notes in italics at bottom]

2 cups flour
1 3/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 eggs, beat them separately before adding to mixture
1/4 cup butter, melted (1/8 of a pound)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt


Mix the dry items first. Combine the eggs and melted butter to the milk and slowly stir in the flour. Let sit at least 10 minutes while heating the pan. These will be high, but light and fluffy.


This recipe makes a butt-load of roughly 4-inch pancakes. We've found that we can cook a batch one day, eat our fill and store the remaining pancakes in the refrigerator in a zipper bag to have for breakfast later in the week. Heating them carefully in the microwave after storing in the refrigerator; start with 30 seconds and add additional blocks of 15 or 30 seconds as needed.

Adding fruit works well, as does adding ground cinnamon.

We're still playing with this recipe so as of today, it remains just as I found it.

Yummy All-Purpose Tomato Sauce

[adapted from Quick, Cheap & Easy Seasoned Tomato Sauce at Hillbilly Housewife.com


2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely minced (or 2 tablespoons onion powder)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 cloves minced garlic
12 oz tomato paste
18 oz filled with water (1 1/2 cans if using a 12 oz can, 3 cans if using a 6 oz can)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in medium sauce pan. Saute onion, minced garlic and garlic powder for no more than two minutes. If using onion powder rather than minced onion, saute for less time. Add tomato paste and 12 oz of water. Stir until tomato paste is smooth. Add remaining water. (If you like a thinner sauce, add more water.) Add remaining ingredients (basil, oregano, sugar, salt), stir through. Cover and simmer for no less than 10 minutes. You may have to add more water if you let sauce simmer for more than four hours.

Lemon Garlic Pork Chops

[adapted from Crockpot Lemon Garlic Chicken]


3 boneless pork chops
1/2 cup lemon juice
10 - 12 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 cup white wine OR apple juice

Season pork chops with salt and poultry seasoning. Put pork chops in crock pot. Mix minced garlic with wine and lemon juice; pour mixture over pork chops. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.


note: this works well with chicken, too (obviously)

Simple Taco Meat

[adapted from The Hillbilly Housewife's recipe here]

1 lb ground beef
2 tbsp flour
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 - 3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/8 - 1/4 tsp baking cocoa
1/4 - 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 - 1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 - 1/4 tsp ground allspice


Brown a pound of ground beef and use a fork to smash it into small bits. When it is brown drain off the fat. Add flour and stir until the meat is sort of dusty looking. Add chopped onion, garlic, and water. Sprinkle in chili powder, salt, pepper, baking cocoa, cinnamon, sugar, and allspice. Stir through and simmer until thickened.


***please note that ranging quantities for ingredients are estimates. Those should be added according to your tastes.

Ginger Pork

[adapted from Weight Watchers International Cookbook ISBN: 0-45301004-0]

3/4 - 1 cup chicken bouillon
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons apple juice OR orange juice OR pineapple juice, or 1/2 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract*
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ginger
1 pound cooked pork, cut in 1-inch cubes**
2 cups cooked rice


In saucepan, combine chicken bouillon, soy sauce, juice, garlic, sugar, ginger, and pepper. Simmer covered for 15 minutes. Turn off heat. Add pork. Stir well. Serve over rice.

* the recipe calls for sherry extract, but since I can't find it in local stores and refuse to spend the money to order such a specialty item on line, I substitute!

** I use leftovers when I can, or just cook the pork ahead when I have time

Also, please note that this recipe is still in the tweaking stages.

Pot Roast (a la me)

[I promised a friend that I'd add this "recipe" to this collection so that he knows how to do it in the future.]

1 pound frozen piece of boneless roast-type beef
1 small onion, sliced, rings not separated
1 pound baby carrots (or big carrots chopped)
2 pound new potatoes (or big potatoes, cubed)
2 cups beef broth (or 1 can cream of mushroom soup, or 1 can cream of anything you like soup)

Line bottom of crock pot with onion rings. Top with a layer of potatoes. Add frozen beef. Surround beef with remainder of potatoes and carrots. Pour beef broth over everything. Put top on crock pot. Cook on HIGH for approximately 6 hours (more or less, depending on if you used more or less beef) or LOW for approximately 12 hours.

Shepherd's Pie (a la my mom)

[This is (sort of) how my mother has been making Shepherd's Pie since I was a little kid. The basic recipe is still there, I just sort of tweaked it a bit.]


1 pound ground beef
1 pound frozen mixed veggies (we prefer a carrot/green pea/corn/lima bean mix)
1/2 cup water (approximately)
1 tsp minced garlic
4 - 6 servings mashed potatoes
grated cheddar cheese (enough to cover)

Brown ground beef; drain. Return to pan. Add mixed vegetables and garlic. Stir to mix. Add enough water to keep from sticking to pan. Cover and cook on medium heat until vegetables are done to liking. Transfer beef/vegetable mixture to a baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes (cover completely). Top with grated cheddar cheese. Put in oven with low heat until cheese melts.

Oriental Burgers

[adapted from More Lean and Luscious by Bobbie Hinman and Millie Snyder. ISBN:0-914629-49-2]

1 pound lean ground beef
1 egg
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoon finely minced onion
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, combine beef with remaining ingredients. Mix well. Shape into 4 patties. Place on a rack in a broiler pan. Cook approximately 3 inches from heat until done to taste, turning half-way through.

Spice-Glazed Chicken

[adapted from Lean and Luscious by Bobbie Hinman and Millie Snyder. ISBN:0-914629-20-4]

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vinegar
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
8 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup thinly sliced onion, separated into rings after measuring

Preheat oven to 350F. Place chicken in a shallow baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. In a small saucepan, combine remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Boil 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Baste chicken with a little of the sauce, leaving the onions in the saucepan. Back chicken 1 hour, uncovered, basting frequently with sauce while baking. During the last 20 minutes of baking, arrange onion rings over chicken. Serve any remaining sauce with the cooked chicken.

Easy Pork Chop Packets

[adapted from a Reynolds foil recipe I got in the mail ages ago]

4 sheets (12x18 inches each) heavy duty aluminum foil
1 small onion, sliced
4 boneless pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450F. Center onion slices on each sheet of aluminum foil. Top with pork chops; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine cream of mushroom soup, sugar, garlic, and soy sauce; spoon over pork chops. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Repeat to make four packets. Bake 16 to 18 minutes (or until done) on a cookie sheet in oven. Serve over rice.

***note: sometimes I leave out the onion
***note2: this works well with chicken, too

Ginger-Marmalade Chicken

[adapted from More Lean and Luscious by Bobbie Hinman and Millie Snyder. ISBN:0-914629-49-2]

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken parts
2 1/2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons orange juice (with pulp)
2 tablespoons French or Catalina dressing
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350F. Place chicken in a shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with a nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Mix well. Spread evenly over chicken. Bake, uncovered, 45 minutes or until chicken is done.


***note: this is also good using pork instead of chicken