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!

scrummy bacon cornbread

1 14" castiron frypan

1/2 pkg bacon, cut into 1" pieces

1 1/2 cups corn meal

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup oil

2 to 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

Heat oven to 350F. Fry bacon in cast iron pan on stove top. When bacon is nearly crisp shut off heat and spread bacon evenly in pan. Don't drain bacon fat. Meanwhile mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another. Pour wet ingred into dry and mix until just barely mixed. Add peppers and stir in a bit. (I add peppers to 1/2 my batter AFTER it's in the pan. There are little mouths here who don't appreciate it too spicy hot!) Pour batter into still-hot pan on top of bacon. Bake at 350F till toothpick inserted comes out clean. (20 to 25 minutes...this somewhat depends on how much your pan has cooled while you've mixed the other ingredients.) 

Serve warm. I served this with a cream sauce made with sauted mushrooms and chicken. Top with shredded cheese. mmmmm

maple sweet and sour sauce

1 c ketchup

1/2 c maple syrup

1/4 c finely chopped onion

1/4 c vinegar

1/4 c soy sauce

2 TB mustard

1 clove garlic minced

1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients.  Cover and shake well to blend.  Good as a sweet & sour sauce for anything and also as a marinade. Wow this smells good...I've just dumped it into a panful of chicken breasts for lunch. Can't wait to sample!
It's from Heather! (Thanks again...got more for me?!)

Heather's raised yeast waffles

1 pkg (1/4 oz) active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup warm water

2 cups warm 2% milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking soda

In large bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Beat in milk, eggs, and butter. Combine flour, salt and baking soda; stir into yeast mixture just until combined. Cover and let stand and rise in warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake in preheated waffle iron until golden brown. 

NOTE: I used instant yeast and did no presoaking with the yeast. Excellent results. These waffles smell like baking fresh bread and are soooo light and crisp. 

Poco Picante Chicken

(Here is what landed in the pan last night and WOW!!! Was it ever delicious! Carl said I MUST make it again so in order to do so I have to write it down!) Measurements are "whatever amounts you have on hand".

3 lb chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces

6 or 7 pressed garlic cloves

2 sweet peppers, sliced

1 large onions, sliced

1 pkg fresh sliced mushrooms

Saute this all till browned and then add the following ingredients:

1 can tomato soup

1 1/2 Tbsp Epicure's Poco Picante Salsa seasoning

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 Tbsp cumin

1 or 2 tsp chili powder

salt to taste

2 cans Niblets corn

1 lg can kidney beans

Add a bit of water if necessary and simmer a few minutes until the hubby is ready to eat! Serve in tortillas or on rice or on corn tortillas. Top with shredded cabbage, sour cream, salsa, and whatever you want. Oh, cheese of course.

Bangladeshi meat curry

Saute: 4 crushed garlic cloves (or more)

1 cup onion 

1/4 cup oil

Add your choice of meat: 2 lb cubed chicken, beef, goat, etc. Fry.

Add:

6 cups water

1T salt

3 bay leaves

2 cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves

2 - 3 chilies

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ginger

2 tsp coriander

5 cardamom pods

Cook till tender. Add more water if needed. Serve curry with rice. A lot of times a few cubes potatoes are added to the curry. Also quite a few chilies added will really add the spice. They eat it HOT!

This is copied from Juanita's recipe book. Delton's have served us this and we LOVE it! I've made it once or twice and it's worked out well!

sweet chicken curry (from India...from Melissa Zeiset)

1 medium onion, slivered

1 tsp garlic powder (I used many garlic cloves, maybe 4)

oil to saute

1/2 tsp ginger (I used fresh crushed)

5 whole cloves

5-6 whole cardamom pods (I used cardamom pwdr to taste)

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon (I used about 4 broken up cinnamon sticks)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp coriander

3 lbs chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 can coconut milk

1 cup sour cream

jalapeno peppers to taste

Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add spices and salt and chicken. Brown on all sides. Mix and add coconut milk, sour cream, and peppers. Simmer until chicken is well done, about an hour. Serve over rice.

I served this to the school children on Be Humble Day, and they had to eat with their hands like they do in those far-away countries. The children LOVED it and some had third helpings! I've served this for Sunday dinner with great results. I leave out the peppers, though, for us wimpy Canadians!

fancy mac and cheese (revised from pioneer woman)

2 cups (aprox) slice mushrooms
Watkins cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large onion, sliced thin
1/4 - 1/2 cup butter (I didn't measure)
1/2 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/4 cup Mozza
1 1/4 cup cheddar
4 cups macaroni (maybe 5 cups but no more; I made 6 and had WAAAY too much)
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten

Spread mushrooms in Costco pan lined with parchment paper. Spray well with cooking spray and bake @ 425F 25 minutes until deep golden brown. Set aside.
Fry bacon until only chewy, not crisp. Set aside on paper towel to soak up all that fat.
Saute onions till golden in bacon fat. Set aside. I drained these in a sieve. (I can't stand too much grease!)
Cook mac until almost done. Drain and set aside.
To make sauce melt 4 TBSP butter (aprox) in saucepan and whisk the flour into the melted butter. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring until thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon about 1/4 cup hot white sauce into a small bowl containing the beaten egg, stirring the egg with a fork as you drizzle it in. Then pour the mixture into the pot with the white sauce, stirring constantly. Add all that cheese.
Stir cheese sauce into the macaroni, adding milk to thin as necessary; I added quite a bit.
Layer into well-sprayed 9x13 pan like this: 1/2 the bacon,onion and mushroom, then 1/2 the mac. 1/2 onion and mushroom, 1/2 mac and then 1/2 bacon. If you wanna add more cheese on top, by all means do! I didn't and we loved it.
Bake @ 350F 1/2 an hour or so or until bubbly and hot. Enjoy!

sausage potato salad

2 lb small red potatoes (I do maybe 3 or 4 large red spuds.)

2 Tbsp olive oil (or other)

2 Tbsp honey mustard

2 Tbsp vinegar

1 or 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp minced fresh tarragon or 1/2 tsp dried tarragon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 lb (aprox) sliced sausage

1 small onion,chopped or 1/2 tsp onion powder

Scrub potatoes; place in a small saucepan and cook till tender. Don't overcook. Drain and cool slightly. Cut into small pieces or slice. Saute sausage until done.  For dressing combine oil, honey mustard, vinegar and seasonings. Toss with onion, sausage and potatoes. Serve warm or chilled. (I actually used chives instead of onions one time and another time, I blended the onion with the rest of the dressing ingredients. Both ways were wonderful.) 

I'm gonna make this for supper tonight, using good ol' Mennonite Farmer's sausage and spuds from our garden.

chicken noodle soup

(note: no measurements are followed exactly on this recipe...at my house anyway!)

1 broiler/fryer chicken

2 1/2 quarts water

1/2 medium onion, chopped

3 tsp salt

2 tsp chicken oxo

pepper to taste

1/4 tsp marjoram

1/4 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups fine uncooked egg noodles

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

I add curry as well (Epicure Madras curry is mild and flavorful)

In stock pot combine the first 9 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer a couple hours and then debone chicken. Add the rest of the ingredients except noodles. Cook these and add just before serving. Simmer soup until done. Sooo good. 8-10 servings. This would work great to can without noodles.

turkey barley soup

leftover turkey, diced finely, maybe 3 cups give or take

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

few stalks shredded/sliced celery

1 or 2 chopped onion

1/2 to 1 cup pearl barley

chicken broth to cover above ingredients

salt and pepper to taste

2 or 3 bay leaves

1/2 tsp each poultry seasoning and sage

Very slowly simmer together all afternoon. Serve with sour cream and mozza and parmesan cheese. We just love this soup. It's so simple and delicious. Last night I added some shredded potatoes that needed using up and that worked too.  What makes this soup so good IMO is the sage and poultry seasoning. It would work to quad this and can it.

(I'm realizing just how difficult it is to write my recipes down; I do NOT measure much at all! Hope you can use these.)

Whipped Sweet Spuds (with sour cream variation)

4 1/2 cup sweet potatoes (peeled, cooked, mashed)

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

3/4 cup margarine

3 eggs

1/2 to 3/4 cup milk or cream or evap milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

cinnamon (optional)

TOPPING

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

6 Tbsp melted margarine

3/4 cups flour (can be part rolled oats)

Whip first 7 ingredients till fluffy. Put in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake 1/2 hour @ 350F to heat through. Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle over spuds. Bake another 1/2 hour or till golden brown.

OKAY PEOPLE! I came up with a new and better version!

SOUR CREAM WHIPPED SWEET SPUDS

Do same as above recipe only put in 1/2 cup margarine and replace milk with sour cream. MMMMMM!

so caloricious and scrumptious and better than ever. I claim this as MY OWN RECIPE NOW!!!

Simple Chicken Gumbo

All along I've thought of Gumbo as a "special" meal, a little difficult and a whole lot GOOD! BUT. It's easy. Here's my latest version and it's simple enough for any ol' week day supper. Remember...all measurements approximate.

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup flour

2 lb sausage

7 chicken breasts

6 celery stalks

2 smallish onions

5 garlic cloves

4 cups chicken broth (or more)

salt and pepper to taste

Make very brown roux with flour and oil. One recipe says till it's the color of a copper penny and another says melted chocolate. You've gotta be a little careful as it burns easily. So stir it constantly till it's brown. In another pan, saute meat. Add to roaster of roux. (Or crockpot) Saute veggies in same pan and add to the rest of the stuff. Add broth and salt and pepper. Slow roast it till suppertime. Serve in pasta bowls over rice. We had a side of apple/whipped cream salad served in pretty footed bowls last time we ate this. Some folks add gumbo seasonings but we can't get those here. So we simplify and we love it anyway. They say the REAL secret is browning the flour dark enough anyway, not the seasonings, so... (Creole food.)

barracho beans

BARRACHO BEANS 
6 cups dry pinto beans (you can substitute canned beans)

1 ½ - 2 pounds uncooked bacon, cut into small pieces

½ cups onion, chopped

1 cup diced tomatoes

3 bell peppers, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (OR MORE!)

4 T. tomato bouillon

1 T. chili powder

1 T. cumin powder

3 T. lemon juice

2 T. chopped cilantro

Cover beans with water in a large kettle. Bring to a rolling boil; turn off heat and let soak for 1-2 hours. Drain. Add fresh water to cover and add all ingredients except the last two. Simmer until beans are tender. Add lemon juice and cilantro 5-10 minutes before serving. Serves 25-30

Barracho beans are synonymous with “bean soup” but actually translates to drunk beans. 

Next time you have enchiladas, carnitas, fajitas, or any other mouth applauding Mexican dish have a go at barracho beans for a side. Try scooping the beans up in a fresh tortilla. Mmmmm. We also like them with grilled hamburgers instead of baked beans. If you smoke some ribs or brisket have a pot of these drunk beans to put on the table, too. A little secret is that they are more flavorful the next day. 

This recipe comes from Dena Unruh and she got it from Chloe Nichols, both friends from writing classes.

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