Ginger Chicken Lo Mein

2 c. shredded cooked chicken breast (or 2 cans chunk chicken)
½ c chicken broth
½ c brown sugar
¼ c honey
¼ c Dijon mustard
1 tsp ginger powder
3 Tbl soy sauce
8 oz lo mein noodles, cooked (I used thin spaghetti here)
1 c sugar snap peas, steamed (I used Green Giant Steamers)
1 Tbl minced garlic

In a small saucepan, mix broth, brown sugar, honey, mustard, ginger and soy sauce. Simmer over a medium heat until it turns to a glaze (about 4-5 minutes).

In a wok or large skillet, combine glaze, chicken, pasta, peas and garlic and cook over medium heat until warmed thoroughly.

Passion Tea Lemonade

I. Love. SUMMER!

Summer brings Passion Tea Lemonade back to Starbucks!! Since I don't live next door to a SB and couldn't afford to buy one of these everyday even if I did, I learned how to make them at home. It's really not that tough.

2 bags Tazo Passion Tea (bought by the canister at Starbucks or online)
2 c pre-made Lemonade (I use Simply Lemonade, but Kool-Aid will do in a pinch)
Sweetener of your choice (you can use simple syrup or sugar. I use Stevia.)

Brew your tea according to pkg directions and add sweetener, if you like. Mix half-and-half with the lemonade and serve over ice. You can add a splash of any fruit juice you choose to change it up a bit, too. I know at one time, Starbucks combined it with an orange syrup for a yummy twist. :) This recipe is enough for two servings.

"Skyline" Chili

I've never tried Skyline Chili, but my friend has made it and tweaked it to suit her family. She said it's exactly like Skyline's.

**ADDENDUM: I have now tried Skyline chili and I'm proud to say mine is better. No, seriously. Theirs has weird texture that isn't identifiable. I'm told there are pieces of cocoa shell in it? I dunno. Anyway. The flavors are similar, but I think mine has a richer taste. Try it for yourself.

Skyline Chili

4lb ground beef (brown)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
2 onions (chopped, but I put in food processor on pulse)
2 lg cans Hunts tomato sauce (29oz each)
1 sm can tomato sauce (12 oz)
3 lg cans water + 1 sm can water (total about 100 oz but I use less if I need to, to make it fit in my pot)
3 T white vinegar
6 dashes Worchestershire sauce

Combine:
1/4 cup sugar
4T Chili powder
1 1/4 T salt
12 drops Tabasco sauce
1T Cumin
1 tsp Coriander
1tsp Cayenne pepper
1tsp Black pepper
1T Cinnamon
1T Allspice
10 Bay leaves
1 tsp red pepper (crushed)
4 oz unsweetened chocolate - (I usually use Ghirardelli Chile Pepper Chocolate, but if that's not available, I use semi-sweet dark)

Brown beef and chop finely (I put in my food processor and pulse on low for a bit to get it really fine without making a paste out of it!). Saute onions and garlic, place in LARGE pot. Add wet ingredients, combine dry ingredients and add. Simmer uncovered 5-6 hours, stirring frequently (I use a spatula to scrape bottom). Serve over spaghetti with onions/oyster crackers/cheese...whatever you like! ENJOY!!!

My coveted meatloaf recipe

I've been asked for years to share my meatloaf recipe.

For years, I've declined to share any part of it.

I'm finally going to share with you the basic recipe. I will tell you that this recipe will NOT taste exactly like mine, because I'm not including the secret twist that makes my meatloaf mine. But, this recipe is still VERY very good.

1½ lbs lean ground beef (leaner the better)
½ c ketchup
1/3 c tomato juice
½ tsp each salt and black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (or a couple dashes of cayenne pepper)
2 eggs, beaten
¾ c fresh bread crumbs (crushed croutons work best here)
¼ c finely diced onions
2 tsp yellow mustard

Topping:
¼ c ketchup
½ tsp yellow mustard
2 tsp brown sugar


1) In large bowl, combine ketchup, tomato juice, salt, peppers, eggs, bread crumbs, onions and mustard. Mix until thoroughly blended.

2) Add ground beef. I mix with my hands so I can make sure all the chunks of meat are broken down and mixed thoroughly.

3) Line a 9x5" loaf pan with foil and press in the meat mixture.

4) In a separate bowl, combine the topping ingredients, mixing well. Spread topping over meatloaf.

5) Bake at 400° for 35-45 mins or until done.

6) Drain off fat. Rest meatloaf for 5 minutes before serving.

**This recipe can also be made in the microwave and I've found works almost better than in the oven.

1) In large bowl, combine ketchup, tomato juice, salt, peppers, eggs, bread crumbs, onions and mustard. Mix until thoroughly blended.

2) Add ground beef. I mix with my hands so I can make sure all the chunks of meat are broken down and mixed thoroughly.


3) On a microwave safe dish, form meat mixture into a 9" ring. Cover with waxed paper.

4) Microwave at 30% power for 15 minutes. Pour off any juices.

5) Repeat step 3 twice more for a total of 45 minutes cook time.

6) Cover top of meatloaf with sauce and microwave uncovered at 100% power for 5 mins.

7) There shouldn't be much, if any, fat to drain off, but if there is, do that. Rest meatloaf for 5 minutes before serving.

My Mama's Pierogi

I've had several requests for this and since I made it not too long ago, I thought I'd post the recipe. I do it by memory, so you may need to play with the measurements, considering I haven't actually used the recipe in 15 years or more.

I won't lie, this recipe is the biggest pain in the ass to make, but it's SO worth it. I remember my mother enlisting the help of friends and family whenever she made them. Her motto was "If you wanna eat 'em, you help make 'em" and after having made a couple hundred of these on New Year's Day for my family, I can see why she bargained with us.

Filling
8-10 potatoes - peeled, cut & boiled
2 c - shredded mild cheddar cheese
½ c - butter
½ c - milk (I use evaporated milk, but you can use regular milk)

Combine all and mash together. Put in fridge to chill while making noodle dough.


Dough (adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook)
7 c all-purpose flour
1 c water
6 eggs
1½ tsp salt
1 T vegetable or olive oil

Stir together 6 c of flour in a large mixing bowl with the salt. Make a well in the center of the mixture. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, water and oil. Add to the flour mixture and mix well.
Sprinkle the kneading surface with the remaining flour. Knead dough until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes total - hope you've done your bicep training at the gym!!). Cover and let rest for about 10 mins.
Divide dough into fourths. On a lightly floured surface, roll each fourth into a 12x12" square about 1/16" thick. Let stand 20 minutes, then using a wide rimmed glass or a biscuit cutter, cut dough into circles.
 (You may need to double this recipe. I can't remember if it's matched evenly for the amount of potatoes that are made.)

Use about 1T of potato filling for each pierogi and seal the dough shut into a half-moon shape. Make sure to pinch the air out of each pocket or they will burst during cooking. Let the pierogi dry 30-60 minutes.

Boil pierogi in batches in lightly salted water 5-7 minutes until all of it has been cooked. (At this point, you can freeze what you think you may not use to serve at a later date. Let them cool and dry completely before putting in freezer storage bags.) You can serve these hot pierogi with melted butter and sauteed onions.

In my family however, we decided generations ago that boiled dough filled with starchy, cheesy potatoes just wasn't enough calories, so we proceed at this point to lightly fry our pierogi in oil until golden brown. Then, of course, being the cholesterol junkies we are, we serve with butter, salt & pepper.

** To avoid having pierogi break open during cooking, purge all the air out of them before you seal them shut and make sure the dough is thick so it doesn't tear during construction of the pierogi.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Usually I make my soups from scratch. This one? Not so much.

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup
1 can enchilada sauce
3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded (or two cans chunk chicken)
1 (soup) can milk
Tortilla chips

Mix it all together and bring to a low simmer (don't boil or the milk will curdle) until it's warm throughout. Serve with crushed tortilla chips on top.

**Variations**
Add:
     chopped bell peppers
     chopped onions
     can of Mexicorn
     can of black beans (drained)
     can of diced tomatoes
     dab of sour cream
     diced green onions

Taco Chicken

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1- 28oz can diced tomatoes (or two standard cans of Rotel)
1 pkg Taco seasoning

Put chicken breasts and taco seasoning in a zipper bag and shake to coat evenly. Put in bottom of crockpot and cover with tomatoes. Cook on low 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. I shredded my chicken separately, but it was fork tender.

Serve with torillas or over pasta. There is a lot of liquid in this, so if you serve on tortillas, you'll want to use a slotted spoon or you'll end up with soggy tortillas and saucy elbows.

Spaghetti Sauce

Two disclaimers:

1) I make enough tomato sauce to freeze. You may want to cut the recipe in half.

2) I hardly ever measure anything, so this is best guesstimate.

6 lbs Whole peeled tomatoes

3 15oz cans tomato paste

2 large onions, diced

1 T Minced garlic

½ T Ground oregano

½ T Leaf oregano

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

¼ tsp Sage

½ tsp Seasoned salt

½ tsp Seasoned pepper

1 tsp Thyme

1 tsp Marjoram

1 T Sweet leaf basil

1 T Garlic salt

2 T Garlic powder

2 T Parsley

½ T Italian seasoning

½ tsp Paprika

¼ tsp Black pepper

¼ c Brown sugar

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Puree the tomatoes in a blender until smooth. Cook the tomatoes over medium high heat until foam begins to form on the top. Skim it off, otherwise your sauce can become bitter. Once the foam stops forming, add the tomato paste and stir it well. Bring it to a low boil over medium-high heat and turn the sauce down to medium-low. Add the onions, garlic and other spices at this time. Stir occasionally and let it simmer over low heat for 4-6 hours. You can add the meatballs to the sauce at any time.  

Some variations:

adding diced tomatoes for more texture

adding diced green peppers

adding chopped mushrooms

adding a cup of broth or drippings from the meatballs for additional beef flavor
adding two pounds of cooked Italian sausage or ground beef

Melly's Meatballs

Got this recipe from an authetic "Southsider." And if you're from Des Moines, you know that means they're as Italian as you can get without having actually been born in Italy. :)

(makes approx. 50 golf-ball sized meatballs)

1 lb ground beef (I use 80% lean)
1 lb Italian sausage (do NOT use regular pork sausage and don't skimp on quality)
1¾ c bread crumbs
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
3½ T Sweet basil leaves
2 T Ground oregano
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 T fresh minced garlic (I use the pre-minced stuff from the jar)
4 eggs

Mix together and form meatballs. I use a small ice cream scoop for consistency & speed. Cook in an electric skillet at 300° until brown on the outside, then put in spaghetti sauce and simmer for 6-8 hours. (You can also fry them in a regular skillet on med-high heat or bake at 375° for 25 mins, flipping once half-way through the cooking process.)

You can also freeze them, but make sure they're cooked thoroughly and cooled before you put them in freezer zipper bags.

====================

If you're like me and would rather make up a bunch at once and freeze them, here's the recipe for 300 meatballs:

6lb ground beef
6lbs Italian sausage
10½ c bread crumbs
6c parmesan cheese
1 1/3 c basil
¾ c oregano
¼ c salt
¼ c pepper
1/3 c minced garlic (roughly 2 full heads of garlic)
2 doz eggs

This is TWELVE pounds of just meat - not counting all the other ingredients, so you'll need to make sure you've got counter/table space to mix everything up NOT using a bowl. Literally, my entire island is full of meat when I'm mixing this stuff up.

Egg Salad

By request, my egg salad recipe

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
½- ¾ c Miracle Whip
2-4 tbsp sweet pickle relish
1 tsp yellow mustard

I usually throw it altogether in my Smart Chopper. You can vary the amounts of ingredients, but please, please, please, from the bottom of my heart, don't bastardize it by using real mayonnaise.

Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies

Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies

1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila

Sample the Cuervo to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the Cuervo again, to be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one peastoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still ok, try another cup just in case.Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Pick the frigging fruit off the floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaters just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who geeves a sheet. Check the Jose Cuervo. Now shift the lemon juice and strain you nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the wishdasher.

Cherry Mistmas !

(Thank to my friend Tonia for forwarding this recipe to me! LOL)

Grandpa's Homemade Tomato Soup

SMALL BATCH

2 28-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
2 c low sodium V-8 juice 

2-3 meaty pork hocks (Fresh –not smoked) or beef short ribs

1 qt water

Tone’s Pickling spice (remove cloves) (~ one ounce)

1 med onion, diced

½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt or Lawry's seasoned salt

2 pkg cooked wide egg noodles (dried noodles, not frozen)

*Needed: two tea balls – found at most kitchen stores

Wash meat and put in large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Fill half of each tea ball with pickling spice (make sure you’ve removed the whole cloves or soup will end up being too sweet). Add tea balls to the meat & water. Use blender or food processor to puree tomatoes. Add to the pot along with diced onion. Add salt and pepper to taste, but start with measurements above. Bring to a rolling boil, skimming off foam as it appears. (Foam is actually the acid from the tomatoes and can cause your soup to be bitter if you don’t take it off.) Reduce heat and let simmer at least two hours, skimming foam as needed. Serve with egg noodles.

Meat can be removed from bones and eaten in the soup or by itself with some prepared yellow mustard.

And never, ever, ever, ever serve this soup with crackers! It’s a sacrilege to even think about eating this soup with nasty soggy crackers!! Same goes for grilled cheese.

This is one of those recipes that may take some getting used to, but it’s been served in our family for four generations and one that many have come to love over the years.

LARGE BATCH

4 - 28oz cans WHOLE peeled tomatoes

2 - 28oz cans diced or petite diced tomatoes

1 qt LOW SODIUM V-8 (vegetable) juice

3-4 meaty beef short ribs

2 qts water

4 small containers (2oz total) Tone's pickling spice (REMOVE CLOVES!!)

2 med diced onions

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp Lawry's seasoned or regular salt

2-4 pkgs cooked egg noodles (dried, not frozen)

**Need 4 small or two large tea balls (make sure they're the screw-shut kind - can be found here on Amazon: small ones or big one

Prepare tea ball(s) with pickling spice: remove the cloves from the pickling spice, otherwise it will give the soup a weird, sweet taste). 

 

Fill half of the tea ball(s) with pickling spice. After the cloves are removed, each small tea ball should hold a half-ounce of pickling spice. The large will hold 2 oz. Close the top on the tea ball(s) securely, but not overly tight or they'll be hard to get open when it comes time to clean them out.

Wash and put the meat in a large stockpot - at least 14qt. Add the diced onions. Carefully drop in the tea ball(s) and put heat on high. 

In a blender, food processor or using an immersion blender, liquefy the whole peeled tomatoes before adding to the pot. Add the diced tomatoes along with other spices. Bring to a boil uncovered, then lower heat to a light simmer. Skim off foam as it appears. (Foam is actually the acid from the tomatoes and can cause your soup to be bitter if you don’t take it off.) Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, for at least 2 hours, skimming off foam as needed.

Cook your egg noodles SEPARATELY and rinse in cool water. 

When you're ready to serve, put in bowls, then add a handful or two of cooked noodles, and salt & pepper to taste. 

And never, ever, ever, ever serve this soup with crackers! It’s a sacrilege to even think about eating this soup with nasty soggy crackers!! Same goes for grilled cheese. My mother and grandfather would roll in their graves at the thought!!

If preferred, you can remove the meat (it will likely have fallen off the bone by now) and serve it with a little prepared mustard or by itself. Throw away the bones (they won't be good for any kind of stock because the pickling spice flavor will be cooked into them). 

When the soup has cooled completely, carefully scoop out the tea ball(s) and empty used spices into the trash, rinsing out the tea ball(s). You don't want to leave them in the soup after it's done cooking because the acid in the tomatoes will eat at them and ruin them. DO NOT ADD NOODLES TO THE SOUP to store or they will absorb the liquid and ruin your soup.

This is one of those recipes that may take some getting used to, but it’s been served in our family for four generations and one that many have come to love over the years.

ENJOY!!!

Beef Stew

At the request of a friend, I'm sharing my recipe for beef stew. She said she loved beef stew, but just couldn't get the gravy right and the flavor seemed dull. This is the recipe I've used for more than ten years and our family loves it.

Some of the steps can seem confusing if you're not watching someone make it, so I'm posting more pictures than I normally would. If you have any questions, please let me know. I'd be happy to clarify! :)

2-3lb round roast, fat trimmed, cut in cubes

1½ c flour

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt

1 tsp garlic pepper

 

½ c vegetable oil

½ c beef soup base (I use L.B. Jamison)

2 qt cold water

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp celery seed

1 tsp garlic pepper

1 tsp minced garlic

2 T parsley flakes

1 onion, diced

1-14.5oz can diced tomatoes

3T Kitchen Bouquet (optional for coloring & flavor)

1-16oz bag frozen carrots

1-16oz bag frozen corn

6-8 red potatoes, peeled & cubed (Red potatoes hold up better in the stew without falling apart like russet or other types of potatoes)

(**The soup base will have plenty of sodium in it, so you should be careful if you choose to add more salt to the recipe. If you do decide to add it, I would do it sparingly and only when serving.)

 

You'll want to trim the excess fat off the roast and then cube the meat into big chunks. Anything smaller than a 1" cube will fall apart in the stewing process.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour & spices listed above in the first section of ingredients.

Toss the cubed meat in the flour mixture until well coated, while heating up the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When a pinch of flour sizzles in the oil, you'll know it's hot enough.

Add the meat to the oil. Don't bother shaking off the excess flour. That's what's going to make the gravy thick later as it's cooking. The oil won't cover all the meat, but once you stir it, it'll be fine. You'll want to brown the meat, not cook it thoroughly over a medium-high heat. Some of the meat will still be pink when you add the water. Make sure the water is cold. It'll mix better with the roux to make a good gravy. Mix it thoroughly, then add the spices. Kitchen Bouquet, onion & tomatoes.

Bring to a low boil, then turn to medium-low heat and let simmer for an hour. Stir several times so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. After an hour or so, add the rest of the ingredients and turn the heat up to medium-high so it'll come to a boil again. (The frozen ingredients will bring the temp down too far to keep it at low). Once it boils, turn the heat back down to a medium-low again and cook until potatoes are tender, 60-90 minutes. It can be served at this point, but it can be turned down to low and left to simmer for another hour or two.

Almost Campbell's Tomato Soup

Yes, I realize that many of my recipes are soups. I actually *DO* cook more than just soup, but when it gets cool outside, soups are my favorite way to warm up. Which brings me to today's recipe:

1 6oz can tomato paste
3 c milk
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp italian seasoning
dash pepper

Mix together and heat thoroughly, but don't boil. Serve with Oyster crackers or a grilled cheese sandwich.

Cheeseburger Soup

Always a family favorite. It does *NOT* freeze well, so prepare to serve a large group. It's great for large families or potlucks.

Cheeseburger Soup
3lbs hamburger
1 diced yellow onion
2lb box Velveeta, cubed
2 cans beef broth
1qt cream or Half-n-Half (Milk will curdle)
¼c flour
1 16oz jar dill pickle slices
1½c ketchup
½c mustard

Brown onions and hamburger and strain from drippings, putting the meat in a crock pot. Put cubed cheese in and stir together. Mix flour with a bit of beef broth and add to drippings and whisk together until thick and bubbly. Add the remaining beef broth & cream. Bring to a slow boil and pour over meat and cheese in the crock pot. Once the cheese has melted, add ketchup and mustard and simmer in crock pot on low for two hours. Add pickles (juice and all) to the soup and simmer for another 30 minutes.

**Can be made on the stove. Cook on LOW for 30 minutes before adding pickles. Once pickles are added, simmer for 10-15 minutes until soup is heated thoroughly.

**A can of diced tomatoes can be added for variety.
**You can also serve with Shoestring potato chips.