Hamburger mixture for meatballs, burgers, meat loaf...

I used to make ok burgers and meatloaf. Now I make SUPERB meats with the following recipe I've revised from a Bradley Smoker recipe. Truly, I'm never going back to ordinary! And this is awesome stuff even if you don't smoke it!

3 lb ground beef
1 finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped green pepper (optional)
1/3 cup Bulls eye barbeque sauce (I think this is the secret ingredient right here!)
2 eggs
3 cloves garlic or 1 or 2 tsp garlic powder (to taste; not exact amounts)
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (another secret!)
3/4 tsp fresh ground pepper (or Watkins pepper!!)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg (You read right! Another secret!)

Mix this all up and use for any meat you want. Burgers, meatballs, meat loaf...

If making meatloaf with this, before baking top with:

1 cup Ketchup
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp nutmeg

You will never return to ordinary either after you make this one time! Trust me and let me know how it turns out for you!

fall fruit and feta salad

(my own twist on Taste of Home's Fresh Apple and Pear Salad)

3 apples, chopped into bite-sized pieces

3 pears, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 medium to large cucumbers, in bite-sized slices

2 Tbsp red onion, minced

1/3 cup feta cheese

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup apple juice

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 Tbsp mustard

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp snipped fresh dill

salt and pepper to taste

Mix dressing first in Tupperware gravy shaker. Then mix other ingredients in large bowl, reserving cheese and nuts for topping. Quickly stir dressing into fresh fruit and veggies before they have a chance to get brown. Pronounced a grand success at our house!

Wow! What Wonderful Zucchini Bread!

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla

3 eggs

 2 cups shredded zucchini

3 cups flour (up to half may be whole wheat)

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325. Spray two 8 x 4 inch bread pans, or line them with parchment paper. 

In large bowl mix together very well the oil, sugars, vanilla, and eggs. Stir in the zucchini. 

In another bowl mix together the dry ingredients except walnuts. Add to first mixture and mix just until flour dust is mixed in. 

Fold in the walnuts.

Bake 45 to 60 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.

(This tastes especially good if the zucchini has been proudly raised in your own garden! And if the veggie is youthful enough that the skin is soft, by all means don't peel it first.)

fresh raspberry scones

(First of all, I've tried a new background from Vintagemadeforyou and I know some of you have had stress with this website when I've used their backgrounds. Please let me know how it works. Hope it will this time---fingers crossed---since it's been a long time ago that I used from here.) Okay, let's get on with this:

2 1/2 cups flour 

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

dash salt

1/2 cup cold butter, cut in pieces

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

1 Tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 400. With pastry blender, cut together five ingredients till pea-size chunks form. In another bowl whisk together buttermilk and egg. Mix together wet and dry ingredients just until blended. If it's too thick add a little milk. Fold in the raspberries. On parchment-paper lined pans, pat dough into two circles approximately 3/4" thick and 7" across. Sprinkle with 1Tbsp sugar. Score each circle into 8 wedges with a knife. Bake until golden brown, 15 - 18 minutes. Serve warm with butter or sour cream sweetened with icing sugar and a splash of vanilla.

my very own relish

I've revised many different recipes over the years and now this is The One And Only! I'll give you the original that I always ad lib from.

1 qt cucumbers, shredded

1 qt onions, shredded

1 qt cabbage, shredded

1 qt celery, shredded

1 qt peppers, shredded

1/2 cup pickling/course salt

4 cups white vinegar (or 3 cups pickling vinegar)

5 cups sugar

1/2 cup flour (little less if using pickling vinegar)

1 Tbsp mustard seed

1 Tbsp celery seed

5 Tbsp dry mustard

1 Tbsp turmeric

I like to use my Bosch shredder for processing the veggies. I don't use the finest shredder, but the one next up from that. Soak veggies in salt overnight. Drain in the morning, after your house smells verrrry oniony, and cook up the brine in a large pot. Like I mean large, especially if you triple the recipe like I do! Add drained veggies to brine and cook the whole mess for 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars. This beautiful golden concoction will seal as it cools. 

NOTE: you may substitute veggies like crazy. Basically, you want your onions and celery to remain the same, but the rest is very interchangeable. I like to think "color" so whatever combination you use should be colorful. Here are some options: zucchini instead of cukes; carrots in place of some of the peppers; turnips (no kidding) instead of cabbage (they taste the same or pretty close); cauliflower...use whatever you have on hand. The flavors mostly come from the brine anyway, so it's the color-figuring-out-part that's important (to me). With these thoughts I shall close.

chocolate crumb bars (aka: inhalation bars!)

(from Jennifer Anne Warkentin Meissen who submitted it to "Southern Country 2" recipe book)

1 cup margarine, softened

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

Beat margarine. Beat in flour, sugar and salt. Press 2 cups crumbs into 9 x 13" pan. Bake @ 350 for 10 - 12 minutes. While baking, melt 1 cup of the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan or microwavable bowl. Add vanilla. (I always forget to add this and it still tastes awesome.) Spread over hot crust. Stir the remaining chocolate chips into remaining crumbs. (May have to add a little more flour to make crumbly) Sprinkle over filling. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until middle is set.

I usually double this and bake it in a Costco pan. Chopped walnuts or flaked almonds may also be added to the top crumbs with excellent results. 

"Thanks, Jenny!!!"

peach pie filling (to can)

8 cups chopped or diced peaches (however you like!)

1 3/4 cups sugar

4 TBSP minute tapioca

1/2 cup water

Put all together in pot and make sure tapioca gets soaked in juices at least 5 minutes prior to cooking. (This keeps it from becoming gluey and gooey and Lewey...that was for you, Rhea!) Boil for 2 minutes and ladle into jars. Hot water bath 20 minutes. 

I quadrupled this recipe and got 7 quarts with enough left over to eat with icecream for supper!

Oh, and one batch I did half the fruit raspberries and half peaches. SCRUMMMM!

I can almost taste the tarts made with this. Add a mammothosity pile of whipped cream sweetened with cherry or peach Torani syrup...ok I'll quit now!