Easy Turkey Divan

I found this recipe in a magazine many years ago and it's a simple way to use up any
leftover turkey  you might have in the freezer after the holiday.I like to serve it with
baked potato. Or you can buy a thick slice of good turkey from the deli.
Preheat your oven to 350.
Cook 1 10 oz pkg of broccoli spears until almost tender and drain.
Arrange in a 10 x 6 casserole dish.
 Sprinkle 3/4 of a lb cooked turkey over the broccoli.
Mix in a small pan over low heat;
1/4 lb of Velveeta cheese,cut in cubes
1/4 cup miracle whip or mayonaise
1/4 cup milk
 salt & pepper
Pour the cheese sauce over it all and bake for 20 to 25 minutes and serve.

Angel Hair Pasta with Beans and Greens

                                  

This lighter version of pasta
is my new favorite now-a-days.
It's a quick meal that's so
easy to prepare .
It's very versatile so pick
up your favorite greens
and type of beans and
give this a try .

1/2 box angel hair pasta
or  another spaghetti
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
or more if desired
1/2 bunch of  Escarole
or Swiss Chard,  thick
stems removed
1 can cannelini beans,drained
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese

.Cook pasta to Al Dente and drain in strainer.
 Pour chicken broth in the pan with garlic
 and cut escarole .
When greens wilts add the cayenne
 pepper and salt .
Put the pasta back in and reheat.
 Add olive oil.
Gently stir the beans and parmesan cheese
 in and serve.

Irish Nachos

With the passing of St Patrick's Day over the weekend I thought I'd share a recipe.  A restaurant in town makes something similar to these and we really like them. 

Irish Nachos

4-5 pounds of washed potatoes, sliced into 8 wedges each.

oil

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 lb sliced corned beef from the deli

sauerkraut

sour cream

chopped green onions

Preheat the oven to 400* and soak the potato wedges in a mild salt water for a bit.  When the oven is hot, drain them, blot them dry with a towel and toss them in oil.  Spread them across a greased cookie sheet and bake them for 45 minutes.

While they are baking, chop up the corned beef into small chunks.  Heat up the sauerkraut in a pan on the stove until hot.  (no need to cook it, just heat it)

After the wedges are done, pull out the pan and sprinkle cheese and corned beef over the top generously.  Put the pan back in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Top the potatoes with sauerkraut and eat!  (We actually top ours with sour cream and green onions too)  I'm not a huge fan of corned beef and cabbage.. but this I can eat!

My Spaghetti Sauce

I remember a young bride calling me once to tell me she had been thinking about my spaghetti sauce all night. If you use your crockpot leave cover on to retain the heat the first few hours. Hope you like it.

3 large cans Hunt's or home canned whole tomatoes,blended in processor
1 medium can tomato paste
1 medium chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic or 2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbls. brown sugar
1 tbls. italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 tap basil
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tbls. grated parmesan cheese
Browned Italian Sausage or Meatballs

Cook in a crockpot all day or over low heat
on stove all day stirring occasionally.
Serve over pasta.

Salmon Patties

There seems to be so much hype in the news today about how healthy Salmon is for us that I thought I would post my salmon patties recipe here. I think it's one of the most reasonable meals you can put together and if you brown them nice and crispy even the kids will enjoy them. You could also serve them on a bun with Mayo and lettuce. The tender little rows of bones can actually be crushed right in for more nutritional value or easily removed if you prefer to.

1 can wild Alaskan salmon
1 package of saltine crackers, crushed
1 small minced onion
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 Tbs. Lemon juice
1 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2tsp pepper

Drain Salmon and section it down the middle
to remove tiny bones if desired.
Take a fork and mash salmon in a medium bowl.
Add everything but crushed crackers and mix well.
Add crackers in and blend well with your hands.

Preheat enough oil to crisp both sides of
patties over medium heat in a large frypan.
Form into smooth burger style patties with your hands.
Fry on one side until brown and crispy.
carefully flip them over and brown the other side.
Turn fire down and cook a couple more
minutes on each side until centers are set.

Serve plain or with a sauce of your choice that goes well with fish.

Skillet Macaroni and Beef

Calling all you busy home makers out there... Does the thought of a one pan dinner interest you? Years ago as a new home maker myself I found this recipe for mac. and beef that didn't require precooking the macaroni and of course I had to try this one :) I was pleasantly surprised at how it turned out, and that I could make it in a flash with very little clean up involved. Hooray for that! It reminds me of those box hamburger meals with all those preservatives in them that you add the meat to that I never preferred to serve in our house.(Plus I sampled a bite once somewhere and was not impressed !!!) We like it made strictly with the can tomatoes though recipe says tomato sauce will work too.The green pepper is a MUST too!!!! Pre -cooking the macaroni in the beef drippings first before adding the liquid helps to remove some of the starch as well.


1+1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 lb. uncooked macaroni
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup minced onions
1 cup water
1+ 1/2 Tbs. Worcestershire
2 cans whole tomatoes put through a food processor or
2 8oz. cans tomato sauce
1tsp. salt
dash pepper
Parmesan cheese.

Brown ground beef in large deep skillet.
Remove beef and set aside .
Add g. peppers, onions, and the macaroni and cook
on low heat until the macaroni is yellow.
Stir to prevent sticking. If beef is very lean
add a pat of butter or tsp of oil.
Return the beef back to the pan along with all the
rest of ingredients and cover.
Simmer on low heat about 25 mins. or until macaroni is done.
Stir once in awhile.
Serve with the cheese.

Fussy Day Crockpot Chicken

I found this while thumbing through a relative's (Thanks again Teresa)cookbook one day and the simplicity of it intrigued me so much I had to try it. I used a homemade B.B.Q sauce but what ever you fancy will work. This recipe sounds like it may have been created by a poor Mama of some fussy babies who had to come up with ideas to free herself up in the kitchen :)

1 whole chicken
1+1/2 cups B.B.Q sauce
salt
pepper

Preheat a crock pot to low.
Rinse and pat dry chicken.
Place breast side up in crock pot.
Pour B.B.Q sauce over top and in cavity.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
Don't peek!
The meat will fall off the bones easily.
The fat can be skimmed from sauce and
then you can turn sauce into a gravy.
This can be served with potatoes,rice or noodles.

Chicken Roast

I found this recipe years ago in a cookbook I had borrowed from our local library. This meal was actually coined as "The Amish Wedding Dish" in the book and it caught my attention. I had to cut it down because it was a huge recipe.



water
1 whole chicken
2 qts. bread crumbs
1/3 cup butter
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 beaten eggs
2/3 tsp. parsley flakes
2 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp celery salt
1/3 tsp garlic salt
1/3 tsp paprika
1/3 tsp pepper
1 tsp poultry seasoning

Cook chicken in large pot of water until tender about an hour.
Remove chicken from the pan and cool slightly.
Make sure you save broth.
Debone and remove skin leaving in big pieces.
Put chicken in the bottom of a roasting pan.
Brown bread crumbs in butter stirring constantly.
Combine these with all other ingredients.
Add enough of the broth in to make a very moist stuffing.
Pour stuffing over top of chicken meat in the roaster
and drizzle with some melted butter.
Bake 1 hour + 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven until golden browned .
Serve with chicken gravy .

Easy Taco Salad with Melted Cheese

We are having a great time spreading ourselves about the Internet world and we hope you are trying some of our tried and true recipes ! Stop by and let us know how we are doing sometime .


Our oldest grandson always requested my taco salad for parties growing up so I thought maybe I would post how I make my version. I have never liked a taco salad with cold shredded cheese in it so I don't use it. And I like to have mine with ranch made from the Hidden Valley package because it's so much better than bottled. But from there the choice is yours on what you prefer to put on. Make only what you know will get eaten right away though because the chips will get soggy. You can cut this recipe in half for a meal and make two large individual salads bowls if you desire to. And I'm thinking taco salad about covers all your basic food groups. lol It's yummy !!!!!


What you will need:

1 + 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 pkg.s taco seasoning mix
1+ 1/2 cups water
1/2 head shredded lettuce
2 tomatoes , chopped
1 diced onion
2 small cans sliced black olives
taco sauce , or salsa
sour cream
jalapeno peppers ( if desired )
1 large jar of Cheez Whiz (processed cheese)
1/2 cup milk
tortilla chips
ranch dressing
avocado chunks (if desired)

Brown the ground beef and add water and taco mixes. Cook stirring occasionally
about 10 minutes.
Melt the cheese and milk together in microwave or small pan.
Just before serving assemble the salad.
Spread some chips out on the bottom of a large platter .
Top the chips with the warm taco meat.
Drizzle a large spoon of the melted cheese over the meat and chips.
Sprinkle the onions on top and cover with shredded lettuce .
Spread tomatoes over top of the lettuce.
Sprinkle the black olives on.
Pour the melted warm cheese all over the top of the salad.
Serve with the remaining ingredients.

Scalloped Potatoes with Kielbasa

I like to change things up a bit sometimes so I make my scalloped potatoes with kielbasa sausage on occasion . It's quite tasty. Just peel, rinse, dry and slice as many potatoes to the size casserole dish or pan you need. Of course if your making a huge pan add extra butter too. Be sure you make them in a deep enough pan to they won't bubble over in your oven.


You will need:

amount you desire of thinly sliced potatoes ( peeled )
1 pkg lean kielbasa or turkey kielbasa, slice as much as you feel you need
1 large onion , sliced
1 stick butter , cubed
1 tbls. flour
salt and pepper
Whole Milk to cover entire casserole.

Butter your dish and alternate layers starting with potatoes, then onion, more potatoes, kielbasa, flour sprinkled over , and cubed butter spread around. End with a last layer of potatoes with more kielbasa on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper . Pour milk over them to completely cover and bake about 2 hours or more for larger pan until potatoes are very tender in a 350 degree oven. ( Smaller casserole might get done sooner).

Remove from oven and let stand to cool and thicken up a bit about 15 minutes before you serve them.

And here's a hint. If you have never tried throwing a dab of butter in a fry pan and frying leftover scalloped potatoes until browned on both sides you should try it ! It's yummy.

Artichoke Chicken Pasta

This is one of those meals that developed when I went to the cupboard and put everything I found in a pasta dish. It worked so well together that my husband has since requested this same combination.. which I admit was a struggle to recreate, but I eventually got it right again.

The ingredients are:

Farfalle (bow tie) pasta

Cooked boneless chicken breast, chunked

one can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped.

a cup of chopped fresh spinach

one clove of garlic, minced

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup of feta cheese

grated Parmesan cheese

chives

Boil the pasta according to the directions on the box. While that's cooking saute the chicken, garlic and spinach in the butter until the spinach wilts. Add the chopped artichokes and cook through until it's all heated thoroughly.

Stir in the feta cheese and blend through, just to warm it. Drain the pasta and add it to the chicken mixture. Stir it through, and top it with parmesan, salt, pepper, and chopped chives.

And it's ready to eat. It's a really easy pasta that tastes great and goes great with a salad, like my mom's garlic salad.

Happy Eating!

B B Q Meatballs

When you have ground beef and are in a hurry for a quick dinner these meatballs make a delicious meal. It's definitely one of our favorites. I like to serve them with some buttered garlic noodles and a vegetable. A little dab of the sauce on the noodles is wonderful too. I would however advise you to double this recipe if you have a larger family.
Combine and mix well;
1 lb. leaner Ground Beef
1 Lg. egg
1 Cup cracker crumbs
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 tsp. ketchup
1 tsp. B. Sugar
dash pepper
pinch of nutmeg
Shape into mini meatballs and brown them on all sides over low heat in a covered frying pan .
Mix;
6 Tbls. Brown sugar
3/4 cup ketchup
pinch of nutmeg
2 tsp. Dry Mustard
1 cup water
Pour this sauce over meatballs and simmer on low heat stirring occasionally about 15-20 minutes till the sauce has thickened and glazes the meatballs. Hope you like them.