Ivy League Beets
- 1 pound fresh beets
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup strawberry jam
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tbsp. butter
In covered saucepan, cook beets in small amount of boiling, salted water until tender, about 35 minutes. Drain, pare and slice beets and set aside. In same saucepan, combine cornstarch, water, jam, lemon juice, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture thickens and bubbles. Stir in sliced beets and butter and heat through. Makes 4 servings.
Zesty Carrots
- 3 – 4 whole carrots
- 1 tbsp. horseradish
- 1 tbsp. onion, grated
- 2 tbsp. liquid from cooked carrots
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup bread crumbs, fine
- 1 tbsp. melted margarine
- Dash paprika
Peel carrots and cut lengthwise. Cook until tender. Drain and preserve liquid and arrange in 2-qt. baking dish. Combine horseradish, onion, preserved liquid, salt, pepper and mayonnaise and blend thoroughly. Pour over carrots. Combine crumbs and margarine and sprinkle over carrots. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 375° for 15 to 20 minutes. Yields 5 servings.
Three Veggie Casserole
- 2 packages California Blend frozen veggies (contains broccoli, cauliflower and carrots)
- 8 slices American cheese
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
- ¾ cup melted butter
- 2 cups crumbled Ritz crackers
- ½ cup milk
Place frozen vegetables in a 9” x 13” greased pan. Lay slices of American cheese on top of the vegetables and then layer slices of Swiss cheese on that. Mix the cracker crumbs with butter and sprinkle on top. Drizzle milk over the crumbs. Bake for 1 hour at 350°.
Scalloped Apples and Carrots
- 1½ tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. grated lemon rind
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 3 cups cooked carrots, sliced
- 1½ cups cooked apples, sliced
Mix together the salt, flour, brown sugar, lemon juice, lemon rind and butter. Set aside.
In a 9” x 13” baking casserole, arrange the carrot and apple slices in alternate layers. Sprinkle each layer with the above mixture.
Bake at 350° until well heated and the seasoning mixture is thoroughly melted. Yields 8 to 10 servings.
Country-Style Crock Pot Pork Ribs
- 4 lbs. country-style pork ribs
- 1 can tomato soup
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. chili powder
Rinse ribs in water and layer them in crock pot. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour evenly over ribs. Cover pot; heat on medium setting for 6 to 8 hours. (If your crock pot has a programmable setting, use this setting as long as the total cooking time is at least 8 hours.)
Skim fat from juices before serving. Keep warm for serving at low heat. Makes 4 servings
Note: You can serve this with rice or boiled potatoes. When cooking is done, remove ribs and set aside. Add a little cornstarch to thicken the remaining juice and use it as gravy.
Hearty Corn and Zucchini Sauté
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 medium-size zucchini, sliced ¼-inch thick (about 2 cups)
- 1 medium-size onion, diced (about ¼ cup)
- 1 tsp. dried basil leaves
- ¼ tsp. dried oregano leaves
- 2 (10 oz.) packages frozen corn kernels, thawed
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter; add zucchini, onion, basil and oregano and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add corn; cook 6 to 7 minutes longer, stirring occasionally until vegetables are heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
Note: Add some chopped green and red pepper for color and flavor!
Chunky Bleu Cheese Dressing
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ tsp. dry mustard
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. salt, scant
- ⅓ tsp. garlic powder, scant
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 4 oz. imported Danish bleu cheese
Place sour cream, dry mustard, black pepper, salt, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce in mixing bowl. Blend 2 minutes at low speed. Add mayonnaise. Blend ½ minute at low speed. Then blend 2 minutes at medium speed.
Crumble the bleu cheese by hand into very small pieces and add. Blend at low speed no longer than 4 minutes. Must sit 24 hours before using. Makes about 2½ cups.
Zesty Tuna Salad
- ½ cup ripe olives
- 2 hard-cooked eggs
- 2 (6½- or 7-oz.) cans tuna
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 2 tbsp. chopped, green sweet pepper
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp. vinegar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. grated onion
- Salad greens
Cut olives into large pieces. Dice eggs. Flake tuna coarsely over olives and eggs. Add celery and green pepper. Blend mayonnaise with vinegar, salt, pepper and onion. Pour over salad mixture and blend lightly. Serve on crisp salad greens. Makes 3 to 4 servings.
Steve’s Chili Chowder
Note: Steve has made this recipe many times over the years and has never made it the same way twice. Each time he makes it, he changes it around by adding or subtracting different ingredients or serving it in different ways. He made this the other night for us. This is the basic recipe. You can modify it by using your favorite spices and ingredients.
- 2 lbs. ground chuck
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 cans stewed tomatoes
- 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 2 cans Bush’s Chili Beans
- 2 cans red kidney beans, drained
- 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
- 3 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. red cayenne pepper
In a large skillet, brown the ground chuck and drain well. Combine all ingredients in a 6½ – 7 qt. slow cooker, cover and cook for 2 hours on the high setting. Uncover and stir. Cover and cook for another 5 to 6 hours on the low setting for total cooking time of 7 to 8 hours. (For smaller slow cookers, you can halve the recipe.)
To serve, take some Tostito’s Restaurant Style tortilla chips and crumble them in your hand. Place in the bottom of a soup bowl and then spoon out a teaspoon of sour cream. Pour hot chili over the chips and sour cream and top with shredded Mozzarella or cheddar cheese. If you prefer, you can put the sour cream on top.
You can modify this recipe by subtracting one can of the drained red kidney beans to give it less bulk. You can also add mushroom slices and/or green peas to give it more variety. This particular recipe is not very spicy, so you may want to spice it up by adding other spices or packaged Tex-Mex chili ingredients.
Circus Peanut Salad
- 14 Circus marshmallow peanut candies (I buy the Brach’s brand)
- 2 (3 oz.) package orange Jell-O
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 (15¼ oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained, reserving juice
- ½ cup finely-chopped celery
- ½ cup chopped nuts
- ½ cup chopped marshmallows
- ½ cup chopped maraschino cherries
- 2 cups Cool Whip
Cut up candies and dissolve with Jell-O and boiling water. Add cold water to reserved pineapple juice to make 2 cups. Add to hot gelatin mixture. Refrigerate until partially set. Add celery, pineapple, nuts and cherries. Fold in whipped topping. Place in 9” x 13” pan and refrigerate overnight.
