Favorite Recipes

Thick, Rich, Yummy Pudding

1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1 egg
vanilla

In a bowl, whisk together flour and sugar. In a pan, heat milk. Whisk milk slowly into mixture. Cook until it bubbles. Whisk egg in bowl. Slowly mix in hot pudding. Cook maybe a minute, stirring constantly. Take off heat, add vanilla.

 

Potato Leek Soup

2 lb leeks, cleaned and sliced thin, including 1″ of green top
2  onions, peeled and quartered
9 cups  chicken broth or stock
4 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
Black pepper

Sauté the leeks in a bit of oil. Put the leeks, onions and broth in a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; cover. Simmer. Add the potatoes; return to a boil. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Process in a blender until smooth. Stir in the pepper.

 

Posole

4 dried long red chile
2 lbs. pork roast or pork chops cut into 1″ cubes
several cloves of garlic peeled and chopped
pinch of  oregano
1 onion, chopped
2 cans hominy ….white and yellow
seasoned salt

Break open the chiles and remove the seeds and veins. Put the chiles to cook in a bowl of boiling water. Let sit an hour or so. Scrape good stuff out.

Meanwhile, put the cubed pork, oregano, garlic, onion and salt into a large heavy pot and cover with water. Boil meat gently for 30 minutes. When the meat is soft, add the chile and hominy and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the mixture is boiling nicely.

To serve, ladle the posole into bowls and serve with thinly sliced cabbage and radishes, quartered limes, oregano, chopped onion, avocado chunks, diced tomatoes and fresh corn tortillas.

 

Corn chowder

1 pound bacon or 1 jar real bacon bits
2 onions, chopped
2 pounds potatoes, diced
water to cover….no more
2 cans corn with liquid
1 can cream of mushroom or celery soup
2 cans evaporated milk
seasoned salt
pepper

Slice up bacon into pieces and fry well. Drain most of fat, Fry onions with the bacon. Add potatoes to the pot, cover with water. Cook until soft. Add corn, soup, milk and seasonings. Mmmmmmmm……

Bread pudding

3 c. white bread, 1″ cubes
1 qt. light cream
7 med. eggs
1 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Pinch nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

HARD SAUCE:
1/4 lb. butter
8 oz. powdered sugar
6 oz. Jack Daniel’s whiskey

Crack eggs and mix them until smooth. Heat light cream until warm, then pour cream into large bowl. Mix eggs, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon together and add to cream. In 9″x11″ pan, spread cubed bread evenly, pour the cream and egg mixture over bread. Submerge bread to prevent over browning. Bake for 50 minutes in a water bath in 350 degree oven or until toothpick comes out clean.

SAUCE: Melt butter in tall pan, while whipping melted butter add sugar slowly until blended smoothly. Add the whiskey slowly while whipping until smooth.

 

Whole Grain Pancake and Waffle Mix

6 cups flour
2 Tbsp. baking soda
3 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups oat flour
2 cups 7 grain cereal, whirled in blender
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup toasted wheat germ

Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. I store mine in a gallon glass jar with the following instructions stickered onto the jar.

For pancakes: 2 Tbsp. butter, 2 eggs, 1 cup yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk or milk, 1 cup mix.

For waffles: 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 3 Tbsp. oil, 1 cup mix

Fruit topping: Cut up large fruits or leave berries whole. Add about half as much sugar as fruit, according to your tastes. Add juice or water. Bring to a boil. Add a tablespoon or two of cornstarch mixed with a little water. Continue stirring until cooked. Serve on pancakes or waffles. Experiment adding different spices to the fruit at the end.

We like to make pancakes and waffles for breakfast. I always keep a jar of this mix on the shelf. Everyone who stops by for breakfast has given it rave reviews. We freeze many fruits and berries from our garden. You can either add them to the batter or make them into a fruit topping.

 

Tomato-Bacon-Cheese Rarebit

1 pound bacon, cut in pieces
4 onions
1 can tomato soup with can of water or milk
8 oz. shredded or cubed cheese (I like 4-6 cheese blend or cheddar)
salt
freshly ground pepper

Fry bacon pieces and drain out oil. Add onions and saute them until they are just beginning to brown. Add tomato soup and heat. Take off stove and stir in cheese and seasonings.

Croutons:
I use all the odds and ends of bread in my bread box for these. Or, just cut up bread slices into cubes. Layer thinly in a cake pan. Drizzle olive oil over bread cubes. Toast in oven at 400*, turning a few times until desired crunchiness. Put some croutons in your bowl and spoon the soup over them.

 

Tempeh Reubens

1 lb. tempeh, cut into 6 pieces
6 slices rye or pumpernickel bread
2lbs. onions or shallots
olive oil
1 large can or bag sauerkraut
1/2 lb. sliced or shredded Swiss or cheddar cheese
sauce

Sauce:
1 qt. homemade or commercial salsa
1 cup mayonnaise
your favorite hot sauce to taste

Toast bread, put on two cookie sheets. Marinate tempeh in soy sauce or teriyaki sauce. Saute in olive oil until lightly brown. Saute onions until well-browned. Pile on tempeh. Heat sauerkraut, divide and pile on sandwich. Put cheese on top of all. Bake at 400* for 20-30 minutes, until desired brownness. Spoon sauce over. Eat.

Tempeh is a very yummy soy product. When I ask my family what they most like me to cook, this is one of the top vote-getters. You can buy tempeh in a co-op, health food store or in the Oriental section of a grocery store.

 

Spicy Banana Cake

2 1/2 cups flour
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup sour milk
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas
2 eggs

Sift dry ingredients into large mixing bowl. Add shortening, milk and bananas; mix until flour is dampened. Beat at low speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs; beat one minute longer. Turn into two 9″ greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 350* for 35 minutes.

Brown Sugar Frosting:
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
5 Tbsp. water
dash of salt

Combine egg whites, brown sugar, water and salt on top of double boiler. Beat slightly to mix. Place over boiling water, beat at high speed until frosting stands in peaks. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Beat one to two minutes more or until thick enough to spread. Yield: 12 servings

I won Grand Prize for best cake at the New York State Fair with this recipe. It is absolutely yummy and stays very moist.

Sopa de Albondigas

2 Tbsp. Oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 cup tomato puree
2 quarts meat stock or canned beef broth or albondiguitas stock
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe albondiguitas

Heat the oil and saute the onion until tender, without allowing it to brown. Add along with the garlic and tomato puree to the meat stock. Taste for seasoning. Bring to a boil; add the meatballs. Cover and cook. Simmer gently until meatballs are cooked, about 45 minutes. Serves 6.

Albondiguitas:
2 slices white bread
milk
one half pound ground pork
one half pound ground veal
one half pound ground lamb
1 large onion, minced
salt
freshly ground pepper
4 cups meat stock
2 cups tomato juice
1 canned chipotle chile, chopped

Soak the bread in milk and squeeze dry just before using. Mix the meats, onion, bread, eggs and seasonings together thoroughly and form into bite-sized balls. Combine the stock and tomato juice, add the chile, and heat to the boiling point. Add the meatballs to the boiling liquid, a few at a time so as not to stop the boiling. When all the meat balls have been added, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook gently for 45 minutes. Drain, and save the stock for soups.

This yummy soup won a grand prize for me at the New York State Fair.

 

Quiche-Me Pie

2 eggs
1/2 cup flour1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cheddar, Swiss, Muenster or Colby cheese
1 onion
garlic cloves
2 cups vegetables, choosing as many or as few as you like:
(broccoli, carrots, green or red peppers, cauliflower, spinach or other greens, zucchini, celery, green beans, tomatoes, etc.)
parsley and basil to taste

Beat eggs. Add flour and 1/2 cup milk. Let sit an hour. Add herbs and remaining milk. While this is setting, cut up onion and garlic. Saute in a cast iron frying pan. Add vegetables and saute until warm. Take off stove. Stir in cheese chunks. Pour batter over all. Sprinkle top with Parmesan or Romano. Bake at 425* for about 25 minutes. Let sit for a bit, then serve.

We love this for dinner! It is quick and easy and very versatile. No matter what vegetables lurk in the garden, refrigerator or freezer, they find a home in this recipe.

 

Old Time Fruitcake

1 1/2 cups prunes
1 cup dried apricots
2 cups seedless raisins
1 1/2 cups seeded raisins
1 1/2 cups currants
1 1/2 cups sliced dates
2 1/2 cups diced preserved citron
1 1/2 cups diced preserved pineapple
1 1/2 cups halved candied cherries
1 cup diced preserved orange peel
1 cup diced preserved lemon peel
1 cup brandy
1 1/2 cups blanched almonds
1 cup pecan halves
3 cups sifted flour
2 tsp. allspice
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. mace
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp.powdered cloves
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
6 eggs, unbeaten
1/2 cup molasses
2/3 cup strawberry jam

Soak fruit in brandy overnight. Preheat oven to 275*, placing a pan of water in bottom of oven. Grease pans: place a piece of greased brown paper in the bottom of each pan. Line pans completely with waxed paper and grease again. Rinse prunes and apricots; cover with water. Boil 5 minutes. Drain; cool. Cut prunes from pits into pieces. Slice apricots. Rinse raisins and currants; drain. Add to prunes and apricots. Add next 6 ingredients. Sliver almonds, chop pecans coarsely. Add both to fruits. Sprinkle one cup flour over all; mix well. Sift remaining flour and next 8 ingredients together. Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, until very creamy. At low speed beat in flour mixture alternately with molasses and jam. Pour over fruit mixture; mix well with spoon. Pack lightly into pans. Bake until done, about 3 hours. Cool completely in pans on wire racks. Remove from pans, peel off paper. Brush on additional brandy. Yield: 14 pounds.

This recipe won me a first prize ribbon at the New York State Fair. My secret was to make it a year ahead of time and brush brandy on the fruitcakes each week!

Lemon Coconut Bars

1½ cups flour
1½ cups brown sugar
1 stick butter

Mix together flour, sugar and butter. Flatten out in a well buttered 9×13″ pan. Bake at 300° for ten minutes.

Filling:
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1½ cups coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp. Flour
½ tsp. Baking powder
¼ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Vanilla

Combine ingredients. Spread on top of baked mixture. Bake for 20 minutes at 350°

Frosting:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 Tbsp. Melted butter
Juice of one lemon

Combine ingredients. Spread on warm bars.

 

Hot Chicken Pockets

Bread dough:
1 Tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 cups flour
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/4 cups water
1 Tbsp. basil
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

Put in bread machine on dough cycle or knead by hand. Let rise.

Chicken filling:
1 1/2 chicken breasts
olive oil
1 pound shallots, cut up
several garlic cloves, minced
1 can green chiles
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. cream cheese, cut in chunks

Cut chicken into bite-sized chunks. Saute in olive oil. Put in bowl. Saute shallots in leftover oil. Add garlic for last minute. Mix up in bowl with remaining ingredients. Set aside.

Cut dough into 8 pieces. Roll out into circles. Divide filling equally and put onto dough. Fold in half and seal with fork tines. Bake at 350* for 25 minutes. Eat.

This time my assignment was to turn 1 1/2 chicken breasts into dinner. I used my bread machine to make dough and came up with some really yummy hot pockets. I went into our root cellar and brought out several stalks of Brussels sprouts and steamed a huge pot full to go with dinner.

Fry Bread Indian Tacos

2 cups flour
1/3 cup powdered milk
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup warm water

1 1/2 ” deep olive oil in pan

Mix all ingredients together. Knead dough using more flour, but not too much. Let rest 30 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces. Stretch and pat dough out into circles. Fry until lightly browned, turning once.

Guacamole:
2 Haas avacados
4 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/4 cup mayonnaise
juice of one lime
salt and pepper to taste

Mash peeled avocados and stir in all ingredients.

Meat filling:
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 cup water

Salsa:
fresh tomatoes
onions
cilantro
red peppers
lime juice
cumin
salt pepper
celery leaves

Chop up vegetables and mix all together. I made my salsa from fresh garden vegetables in the summer and froze it.

For dinner, I made the guacamole, meat filling and thawed out the salsa. Then, fried the bread. I heated up a can of refried beans in the microwave, made a pot of Spanish Rice, got out a carton of sour cream and a bag of shredded taco cheese. As the fry breads came out of the oil, my family piled them with fixings and ate. A great supper!!

Listen to American Indian Radio to go with dinner.

 

Hot Fudge Sauce

1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 Tbsp. coffee crystals
1 tsp. vanilla

Slowly heat milk and chocolate, stirring constantly. Turn off heat, add coffee and vanilla. Thin to desired consistency with milk or cream. Serve on ice cream with sliced bananas.

 

Cranberry Muffins Extraordinaire

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. orange oil
1 bag fresh cranberries, chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans
shaker jar of cinnamon sugar

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, cream the butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Blend this with the flour mixture. Fold in cranberries and nuts.

I use the extra large muffin cups, but any size is fine. Grease the pan well, including the top. Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar. Bake 25 to 30 minutes at 400*.

These are our absolute favorite muffins in the whole world!!! My daughter likes to kid me that I really make them as a bribe, because people can’t seem to get enough of them.

 

Corn Relish

5 green peppers
5 red peppers
1 stalk celery
2 onions
2 Tbsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. mustard seed
1 Tbsp. ground mustard
1 pint vinegar
12 ears corn

Remove seeds from peppers and chop fine. Chop celery and onions. Combine with seasonings, vinegar and water; cook 15 minutes. Cut corn from the cob; add to hot mixture. Cook about 10 minutes longer. Seal at once in jars. Yield: 5 pints

This recipe won a blue ribbon for me at the New York State Fair.

Methods and canning recommendations have changed over the years. If in doubt, keep these in the refrigerator.

 

Cheese Cake

2  8oz. packages cream cheese
1 pound cottage cheese
4 eggs
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 pound melted butter
1 pint sour cream
3 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. corn starch
1 1/2 cups sugar

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Put cream cheese and cottage cheese through a sieve and add the slightly beaten eggs and one cup sugar. Mix well and add lemon juice and vanilla. Stir in the melted butter, mixing well. Sift flour, corn starch and 1/2 cup sugar, adding to the creamed mixture. Then add sour cream.

Grease a spring form or tube cake pan well, pour in batter. Bake at 325* for an hour or longer. When done, shut off the oven and leave cake in oven until cold. Cake rises while baking, then deflates slightly. When cool, refrigerate.

This recipe won me a ribbon at the New York State Fair.

 

Buttery Peanut Brittle

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1 cup butter
2 cups peanuts
1 tsp. baking soda

Combine sugar, corn syrup and water in a 3 quart saucepan. Cook and stir until sugar dissolves. When syrup boils, blend in butter. Stir frequently after mixture reaches the syrup stage (230*). Add nuts when the temperature reaches soft crack (280*) and stir continually until the temperature reaches hard crack (305*). Remove from heat. Quickly stir in soda, mixing thoroughly. Pour onto two cookie sheets.

As the candy cools, stretch it out thin by lifting and pulling from edges, using two forks. Loosen from pans as soon as possible. Turn candy over. Break in pieces. Makes 2 1/2 pounds.

This is a first prize winner for me in the New York State Fair.

 

Beef Dim Sum Meatballs

1 pound lean ground beef
4 Tbsp. Chinese preserved vegetables
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sherry
1 small knob fresh ginger, diced
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 finely diced onion
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. black bean sauce
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1 bunch mustard greens

Mix all ingredients together. Do this to make the meat as whipped as possible. Put a bamboo steamer in a water filled wok. Bring to boiling. Fill bottom of each steamer with mustard greens. Form meat into 2″ balls and put on top of greens. Close steamer and cook for 15 minutes. Eat!

I had a package of ground beef thawing in the fridge and wanted something other than burgers or meatloaf. I looked around in various cookbooks and came up with this recipe by combining several. Even though we have already had below zero temperatures here in Vermont, the mustard greens are still alive. I sent my daughter out to gather them with a flashlight. She is a good sport, and likes to eat, too! These are the most delicious meatballs I have ever eaten in my life!! The mustard greens are fantastic!

 

Arroz con Pollo

One quarter cup olive oil
4 lbs. chicken, cut up
salt
freshly ground pepper
2 medium onions, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, chopped
6 tomatoes, peeled and sliced
2 or more serrano chiles, chopped
one half tsp. ground cumin
one quarter tsp. powdered saffron
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups rice
2 canned pimentos, cut into strips

Heat the oil in a skillet. Season the chicken pieces with the salt and pepper; then sautn the hot oil until golden. Remove to a flameproof casserole with a lid. In the same oil, sauthe onions and garlic. Add to the chicken with the tomatoes, chiles, cumin, saffron and stock. Cover and simmer gently for about 30 minutes.

In the oil remaining, adding more if necessary, sauthe rice until it has absorbed all the oil, taking care not to let it burn. Add the rice to the chicken; cover. Continue cooking until the chicken is tender and the rice is cooked and quite dry, about 30 minutes. Garnish with the pimento strips. Serves 6.

This recipe won me grand prize, best of the week at the New York State Fair.

 

Kale Calzones

Calzone dough:
1 Tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 cups flour
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/4 cups water
1 Tbsp. basil
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

Put in bread machine on dough cycle or knead by hand. Let rise.

Cut dough into 6 pieces. Roll out into circles. Divide filling equally and put onto dough. Fold in half and seal with fork tines. Bake at 350* for 25 minutes.

Kale Cheese Filling:
Several handfuls of shallots
1 head garlic
Olive oil
Seasoned salt
Pepper
Fistful of kale
8-16 oz shredded cheese ( I used Cabot pizza cheedar)

Peel and chop shallots and garlic. Briefly stir fry in oil. Cut up a bunch of kale, stems included. Stir fry until desired tenderness. Add salt and pepper. When slightly cooled, add cheese. Divide into 6 portions. Put on calzone dough and seal. Bake at 350* for about 25 minutes.

 

Wendy’s Hot Cereal

4 cups flax seeds
2 cups soy flakes
2 cups oat bran
2 cups wheat bran
2 cups wheat germ
1 cup barley
1 cup wheat berries
1 cup brown rice
1 cup 10 grain cereal
1 cup oats

You can either mix it all together, then whirl or whirl each, then mix together. I used my VitaMix to crack the grains and stopped when it was still grainy, not floury. Any chunkiness preference is OK…it just takes shorter for flour or longer for whole grains to cook. The brans and flax are full of fiber and the grains are all whole, therefore healthy. Store in the fridge.

 

Honey Oatmeal Bread

1 cup water
3 Tbsp honey
2  cups flour
1 cup oats
2 Tbsp dry milk
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp yeast

Put in bread machine on the regular cycle. I like it with the light crust. Sometimes I put 2 Tbsp of vital wheat gluten in the bottom of the measuring cup before putting in the regular flour.