Index

Most Kicked-Up Meatloaf Ever

Large skillet, melt butter. Add all but 1/4 cup onion, all but 2 tablespoons bell pepper, and celery. Cook until soft and beginning to carmelize, 6 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons garlic, thyme, rosemary and parsley, cook for 2 minutes. Cool off heat.

Preheat oven to 350F. Transfer cool veggies to bowl with eggs, mustard, 1/4 cup catsup, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire, and heavy cream. Mix until combined. Add breadcrumbs, meats, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix until just combined. Transfer to 9x5x3 inch loaf pan, form into loaf. [Arrange bacon on top.]

My own recipe, inspired by a classic Tuscan dish.

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
2-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 c. beef stock or bullion
1 bay leaf
1-2 Tbsp. dried basil
1 1/2 c. pitted black (Spanish) olives, as firm and flavorfull as possible
pasta of choice

From a cookbook

1 Tbsp. oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, chopped
1 c. lentils, rinsed
4 c. beef stock
1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 tsp. Worcestshire sauce
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
2 ribs celery, chopped (celeriac is just fine)
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 lb smoked sausage, cut in bite-sized pieces (I prefer kielbasa)

Cook garlic and onion in oil until onion is transluscent. Add stock, lentils, tomatoes and juice, Worchestshire, cumin, tyme, and bay leaf. Simmer 15 minutes, add celery and carrot, simmer 15 minutes more. Add sausage, heat through (about 5 minutes).

Crusty bread is wondeful with this!

Texas Chili

Modified from a Jeff Smith recipe. This would be made on the trail with dried meat. Dried meat is well trimmed of fat, so bacon (salted, smoked, keeps well) would be used to reconstitute.

1 1/2 Tbsp whole cumin seeds
1/4 lb bacon, chopped
2 lb beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat, cut to 1/4-inch (5 mm) dice.
3 onions, peeled and chopped
9 cloves garlic, diced fine
9 fresh jalapenño peppers, seeded, veined and chopped
2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp ground dried, seeded, veined chili peppers. I normally use two or three ancho peppers, and the remainder pasilla peppers. I use a coffee grinder for this and other spices.
1 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano, ground
1 28 oz can tomatoes

Roast the cumin seeds in a 375 F oven for 10 minutes. Grind. At this point you can combine the dry peppers, cumin and oregano for an excellent chili powder.

Heat a 4-6 quart kettle or dutch oven and saute the bacon until clear. Add the diced meat, onions, garlic, and jalapeño. Cook over high heat until the meat is brown and the onions clear.

Add remaining ingredients, mash the tomatoes up by hand, and add some of the juice. Simmer for one hour and correct the seasoning.

My wife likes beans, and for her I add turtle beans. Soak 1 cup (or less, to taste) overnight, simmer until desired tenderness (my wife likes them just barely uncrunchy but certainly al dente), and add to chili at end or to individual bowls on the table. Sour cream, creme fraiche, or jogurt can be used to cut the heat if necessary, but this is a very mild chili, and it may not be needed.

Frijoles a la Charra

2 cups dried beans, traditionally pinto, I like turtle, I'll use almost anything
5 cups water
3 cups or more water, beef stock, vegetable stock, beer, whatever
2 bay leaves
4 slices bacon, chopped or butter or oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
3-4 fresh or brine preserved jalepenos, or other (or no) chilis to taste, deveined, deseeded
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes
salt/cilantro/sour cream/whatever to taste

Pick through beans and rinse, remove gravel and grit.

Beans in a stockpot or heavy saucepan. Cover with stock and water and add bay leaves. Simmer the beans uncovered over low heat. Plan on a total cooking time of 2 to 2 1/2 hours (much more if large beans like kidney are used).

After 1 hour, stir beans up from bottom and check level. Add enough water to cover beans by 1 inch. Repeat after another 30 minutes.

Cook bacon in a skillet until brown but not quite crisp (if vegetarian/vegan, melt butter or put oil in skillet instead). Remove bacon and drain it. Add onion, garlic and chilies to the drippings/fat and cook until softened. Stir tomatoes in and simmer for 5 minutes.

Spoon vegetables into beans and continue cooking beans. Check every 15 minutes keeping water above beans. At end, there should be extra liquid, but beans shouldn't be watery. If desired, remove 1/2 to 1 cup of beans, mash them, and return to pot for a thicker liquid. Stir in cilantro and bacon (if you use either) just before the beans are done.

1 chicken hacked up (12 pieces)
1 cup soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons sugar
2 bay leaves
1 medium clove of garlic, chopped
1 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon ground pepper

Put everything in a medium sized pot, simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with rice.

Cherry Pudding

Pot Pie

If asked for her recipe for chicken pot pie, here is the recipe given by my grandmother. Of course, I've seen her recipe card, and this IS what it says.

1 c. Flour
1 c Bisquick
1/2 c. hot milk
Salt and pepper

Bisuick:

flour
shortning
baking powder
salt

Starches

Golden Cresents

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in remaining flour until smooth. Scrape dough from side of bowl. Cover. Let rise in warm place until double, about 1 1/2 hours. Divide dough in half, roll each half into 12 inch circle. Spread with soft butter, cut into 16 wedges. Roll up each wedge, beginning at rounded edge. Place rolls with point under on greased baking sheet. Cover, let rise until double, about 1 hour. heat oven to 400F, bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush rolls with butter. 32 rolls.

Afters

Bakewell Pudding

8 ounce (?) puff pastry
1/4 to 1/2 cup jam
4 oz butter
4 oz sugar
1 whole egg + 5 egg yolks
1 teaspoon almond essence

Make custard by melting butter, mixing in sugar, beat eggs together separately then add. Add almond flavor to custard.

Put puff pastry crust in pie pan. Spread with jam. Pour in custard. Bake 15 minutes at 210C (425F) then 20 minutes at 180C (350F). Let cool a bit before eating.

Carrot Cake

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Carrot Cake

My own version of this American classic.

Preheat oven to 350F/175C, grease and flour a 9x13in/25x30cm rectangular or 10in/25cm round or other pan.

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients, except carrots, for cake.

In a second bowl, beat the eggs and add the other wet ingredients.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients, stir until well mixed. Stir in carrots.

Bake 40-45 minutes, until a knife or wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on rack.

Frosting: cream cheese should be at room temperature, stir in vanilla or vanilla sugar. Add powdered sugar until it is a nice consitency for spreading on the cake. Cake may be iced warm.

Preheat oven to 325F/165C, grease and flour two 8x4in/20x10cm high-sided pans.

In large bowl, beat eggs. Add oil, sugar, and vanilla extract/sugar. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices (all dry ingredients but nuts and zucchini). Mix dry and wet ingredients. Add nuts and zucchini.

Mix milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla in a large saucepan. Cook on medium heat 12 minutes, or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Place skewers in water to cover, let sit 30 minutes.

Cut each chicken breast fillet diagonally into 6 strips.

Stir curry paste into coconut milk. Coat chicken with curry sauce. Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature.

Prepare charcoal gril or gas grill for covered grilling directly over medium heat.

Thread 2 chicken strips on each skewer, accordion stylel. Discard marinade. Place chicken on hot grill. Cover grill and cook 5 to 8 minutes or just until chicken loses its pink color throughout, turning skewers over once.

Arrange skewers on platter. Serve with peanut sauce and pickled cucumbers.

Combine ginger, chilies, garlic and green onions in mixing bowl. Whisk in peanut butter, coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Taste and adjust seasoning, sauce should be sweet and salty. Sprinkle with cilantro. Makes about 1 cup.

Blueberry Pie

Pastry shell

For 9 inch/23 cm two-crust pie

Blueberry Pie Filling and Cooking

For 9 inch/23 cm two-crust pie

Brownies

Make sure to use the corresponding amounts of chocolate and sugar.

Preheat oven to 375F. Butter and lightly flour a 9x13x2 inch dish. If you are using a glass dish, place it on a baking sheet prior to baking.

In a heavy bottomed pan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, watching and stirring often. When melted, remove from heat and cool. In a mixing bowl, put eggs, vanilla, salt and sugar. Beat well until well mixed. Gently stir in the butter and chocolate mixture. Add the flour and stir only until blended (still lumpy). Add walnuts. Bake for 25 minutes, until center is still moist and sides have pulled away slightly from the edge of the pan. Cool on rack. Cut into squares.

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