Erma Bombeck's Taco Salad

1 head lettuce
1/2 pound ground beef or ground sirloin
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, grated
3/4 cup dressing (your favorite)
sour cream
tortilla triangles


Wash and chop the lettuce. Drain and refrigerate. Put ground beef
in large glass bowl and microwave on HIGH for 3-4 minutes. Drain.
Add lettuce, tomatoes and 1/2 the cheese to bowl. Toss with
salad dressing. Divide salad onto 6 plates. Sprinkle remainder
of cheese on top of each serving. Put 1 1/2 teaspoons of sour
cream on top of each salad. Serve with tortilla triangles.

Serves 6

St. Joseph Seafood

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 lb cooked shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 6 1/2 oz can crab meat (tuna in water can be substituted)
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1 dash Tabasco sauce
1 dash salt
3/4 cup bread crumbs


Melt butter and cook vegetables 4 minutes on HIGH. Stir once
while cooking. Combine remaining ingredients, except bread
crumbs, with cooked vegetables. Top with bread crumbs. Cover
with wax paper. Cook 5 minutes on HIGH or until bubbly.

Serves 4 to 6
Refrigerate remainder
Can be reheated in microwave

Crockpot Tuna Noodle Casserole

1/4 cup dry sherry
2/3 cup milk
1 can cream of celery soup
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
10 oz frozen peas and carrots (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
2 cans tuna, drained
1/4 teaspoon curry powder (to taste)
10 oz egg noodles
2 tablespoons butter


In a large mixing bowl, combine soup, sherry, milk, parsley flakes,
vegetables, curry powder and tuna. Stir well and fold in noodles.
Blend again. Pour into well greased (or sprayed with Pam) crockpot
and dot with butter. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or
until vegetables and noodles are done.

Serves 4 to 6
Refrigerate remainder
Can be reheated in microwave

Hearty Tuna Chowder

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup each, chopped celery, chopped onion,
chopped green pepper
2 medium potatoes, cut in small cubes
1 can or package tuna in water (7 oz), undrained
3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup evaporated milk or half and half
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese


Melt butter or margarine in a non-stick saucepan over
medium low heat. Saute celery, onion, green pepper and
potatoes for about 10 minutes. Stir flour into the mixture
and cook another 3 minutes; add tuna, bacon and broth. Stir
until smooth and thickened. Add corn and transfer mixture
to crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours. Add milk,
cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on HIGH for another
20 to 30 minutes.

Serves 4
Refrigerate remainder
Can be reheated in microwave

Crock Pot Dijon Chicken

4 chicken breast halves
1 heaping tablespoon honey Dijon mustard
salt and coarsely ground black pepper or seasoned pepper
2 (8 oz) packages baby spinach or 1 pound washed and
dried fresh spinach leaves
2 tablespoons butter, cut in small pieces


Grease crock pot or spray with Pam. Wash chicken and pat dry.
Rub chicken with honey mustard and sprinkle with salt and
pepper. Place chicken breasts in crock pot. Top with spinach.
Spinach can be packed in, or add spinach in parts as spinach
wilts as it cooks. Dot spinach with butter and sprinkle with
more salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours.

Serves 4
Refrigerate remainder
Reheats in microwave the next day

Baked "Fried" Chicken

1 2 1/2-3 pound chicken, cut into pieces
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups (Ritz) cracker crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper


Melt butter in dish that is large enough to dip chicken
pieces. Mix crumbs and seasonings together in a seperate
bowl. Dip chicken into butter and roll in crumb mixture
and place in microwave baking dish. Be sure to put
larger pieces around the outer edge of the baking dish.
Cover with waxed paper and cook on HIGH for 10 minutes.
Turn pieces over, cover and cook on HIGH for another
10 minutes. Test by piercing with a sharp knife and if
more cooking is needed, uncover and cook another 2-4
minutes.

Serves 4 to 6
Refrigerate leftovers
Can be reheated in microwave

Crocked Chicken

1 1/3 cups rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can (6 oz.) evaporated milk
1 chicken, cut up
1 package dry onion soup mix


Butter crockpot (I would spray well with Pam). Add rice, soups and milk. Place chicken over rice mixture in crockpot. Sprinkle dry soup mix over chicken. Cook on LOW 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

Serves 4
Refrigerate leftovers
Can be reheated in microwave

Crab Mornay

2 cups medium white sauce
2 cups cooked crab meat
1/2 pound Swiss cheese, grated

Basic White Sauce
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk


Microwave butter 30 seconds on High. Blend in flour and salt,
gradually stir in milk. Microwave 4 1/2 minutes total on High
or until mixture boils and thickens, strirring twice during
last half of cooking time.

Layer 1/2 of the crab meat, white sauce and cheese into an
8" by 8" baking dish. Repeat with a second layer.
Microwave 8-10 minutes on Medium-High.

Can be prepared a day ahead of time, stored in refrigerator
and heated later
Serves 5 to 6
Refrigerate leftovers
Can be reheated in microwave

Crock Pot Chicken And Sausage Gumbo

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
3/4 to 1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut in bite-size pieces
1 1/2 to 2 cups frozen cut okra
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup frozen medium shrimp, cleaned and cooked
1 1/2 cups uncooked regular long-grain white rice


In a small saucepan, combine flour and oil; mix well. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring constantly, about 8 to 12 minutes or until mixture turns a light red-brown. Place flour and oil mixture in 3 1/2 to 4 quart crockpot. Stir in all remaining ingredients except shrimp and rice. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours. Add cooked shrimp to the gumbo; mix well. Cover and continue to cook on LOW for 20 minutes longer. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions. Serve gumbo over hot cooked rice.

Serves 6 to 8
Refrigerate leftovers
Can be reheated in microwave

Gram's Beef Stew

This recipe has changed over the years. Commercial seasonings have been added, but it is essentially the same basic recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation.

You will need a large frying pan and a 6 quart pot.

1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
Lawry's Seasoned Garlic Salt
WaterMcCormick Beef Stew Seasoning Mix
Teriyaki Sauce*
2 pounds carrots
4 onions
1 - 3 potatoes (see **Freezing Option)
If you have a bit more that 1 1/2 pounds of beef stew meat, that is OK. Just don't try to use less meat. Brown the stew meat in a large frying pan. Turn meat as it browns. After turning twice, Sprinkle with Lawry's Seasoned Garlic Salt. Turn again and sprinkle the other side with Garlic Salt. You will probably have to cook two batches of meat. When the first batch is done add it to the sauce pan, and immediately start the next batch in the same frying pan. When the second batch is done and the meat has all been transferred to the pot, add water to the frying pan and stir to remove the browned bits on the bottom. Add that water to the pot. Add one more frying pan of water to the pot. (Sorry that's the best measurment I can give.) Be careful to leave room for the remaining ingredients.

Add McCormick Beef Stew Seasoning Mix
Add 2 glub-glubs of Teriyaki sauce* Stir and set on high until pot almost boils, then reduce to medium low heat. Set the timer for 1/2 hour.

Peel the carrots and slice them lengthwise and then into 2 inch pieces. Try to keep the diameters equal. At the half hour buzzer, add the carrots to the pot, and set the timer for another 1/2 hour.

Peel the onions and half them then cut the halves into wedges. At the 1/2 hour buzzer add the onions to the pot, and set the timer for another 1/2 hour.
Cut down on the number of potatoes if you plan to freeze a portion.**
Peel and quartered and slice the potatoes into uniform large bite size pieces. At the 1/2 hour when the buzzer goes off, add the potatoes and set timer for 1/2 hour.

The stew will be done when the potato separates easily with a fork. Usually at the end of the half hour, but be prepared to add a little extra time if necessary.

Serve with a nice salad.

*A note about Teriyaki sauce: The best Teriyaki Sauce USED to be Lawry's. But some genius in their marketing department decided to add Pineapple Juice to their already perfect sauce. It can no longer be used for cooking or flavoring. In the meantime Kikoman stepped up to the bat and improved their sauce by adding Roasted Garlic. It is now my kitchen staple. Cheers to Kikomen! Jeers to Lawry's...

**Freezing Option: Remove 1/2 of the ingredients before you add potatoes to freeze for another day. DO NOT FREEZE POTATOES. This freezes nicely in a gallon Zip Lock Freezer bag. To serve later, thaw, add 1 quartered and sliced potato. Cook until potato is done.

Greek Salad For a Crowd

First find a big platter for the salad. BIGGER!

Rinse and drain the lettuce the day before you make the salad.

Add in the order listed (or whichever way you prefer):

About 2 heads Iceberg Lettuce
1 large or 2 small Unwaxed Cucumbers
4 - 8 Tomatoes, depending upon the size
1 Vidallia Onion, sliced
8 ounces Feta Cheese
Green olives
Black olives
Italian Herb Seasoning
Greek Salad Dressing

On the day you plan to serve the salad tear (do not cut) the lettuce into bite size pieces and arrange it in a mound on the platter. Slice the cucumber into thick slices (do not peel) and add it to the lettuce. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and add them. Thinly slice the onion and break it into rings. Put the rings on top of the salad. Crumble the Feta Cheese and add it to the top. Lavishly sprinkle with Italian Herb Seasoning. Garnish with Green and Black Olives.

Just before serving, pour on Greek Salad Dressing.

Enjoy!

Greek Salad Dressing - The Easy Way

How many empty Good Seasons Salad Dressing Mix bottles do you have? I must have half a dozen. I find they are very useful measuring tools for any vinaigrette dressing so I use one to measure the ingredients for Greek Salad Dressing.

Vinegar
1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Water
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 clove garlic (pressed or finely chopped)
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Italian Herb Seasoning
1/4 tsp Cavender's Greek Seasoning
Oil

Using a Good Seasons bottle, pour vinegar to -V- line
Add Worcestershire Sauce
Add water to -W- line
Add garlic, sugar, herbs and seasoning

Cover with lid and shake

Add oil to -O- line

Shake again. Refrigerate overnight before using so flavors will meld.


Coming next: Greek Salad

Hollandaise for Beginners

So many cookbooks assume we know a lot more than we do. They give us a recipe but leave out the details involved in the process, then we wonder why we failed. Herewith, a hopeful guide to a simple Hollandaise for the beginner.

Hollandaise is famous because it's tasty, it's fattening, and it's supposedly difficult to make. The first two points are true but the last one is not. British home cook Nigella Lawson refers to Hollandaise as "a kind of hot mayonnaise" because it's composed primarily of eggs and butter, with a little lemon juice or white vinegar, and pepper for vital flavoring. The difficulty lies in cooking it so it's neither runny nor curdled. If it's runny, it means the eggs were not cooked sufficiently. If it's curdled it means you don't have a nearly pudding-like emulsion because the butter has separated from the other ingredients. Making it properly is simplicity in itself, but it takes practice. First, I recommend dispensing with the double boiler most recipes demand. You don't need it. Secondly, I find using lemon juice and white vinegar together gives the sauce a piquant vibrancy, without being too lemony or too sour. Since that is a matter of taste, though, you will want to experiment.

2 eggs yolks
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and white pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons white vinegar
4 ounces (1 stick) butter, cut into half-inch pieces

Turn an electric burner onto medium-low, or gas onto low, and drop the egg yolks* into a small saucepan** along with the lemon juice and vinegar, cayenne pepper, salt and white pepper. Immediately start whisking the eggs. It should take two or three minutes of careful attention before they start to cook. As soon as the eggs start to thicken, turn the burner down one notch, otherwise they are likely to turn into scrambled eggs. If they start to solidify instead of thicken it means the heat was too high and you will just have to start over. If they don't thicken it means the heat isn't high enough, so turn up your burner a notch.

As soon as the eggs start to thicken, begin adding the butter a little at a time, whisking continuously. If the sauce starts to thin out, it means you're adding the butter too fast; either your butter chunks are too big or you're adding them too quickly. Either way it means too much butter at once, so adjust. After about five minutes of whisking, you should have a nice pudding-like Hollandaise. This is a good time to taste it, then adjust the seasonings. I find a nice fat pinch of cayenne is perfect, along with small pinches (or a couple of shakes) of salt and pepper. It's best to use white pepper, because then you don't have black specks in your sauce. As soon as the sauce is complete, take it off the burner. If you leave it on the heat it will almost certainly overheat and curdle. It will cool rapidly off the heat and thereby maintain it's consistency. It's best used as soon as possible, however.

Leftover Hollandaise can be successfully frozen, something nice to know since it's touchy and a bit time-consuming to make. It's also economical and convenient for a small household to make up a batch, knowing there will be some left for another meal. Heat frozen Hollandaise slowly on a very low burner, whisking or stirring constantly. Alternately, it will heat up nicely in the microwave. Again, a low setting is the key. Try the defrost setting for one to two minutes. If it's still partially frozen, then stir it and try heating for an additional 30 seconds at a time on an even lower setting, followed by a quick stir each time, until it reaches the proper consistency.

This is wonderful over asparagus, broccoli or salmon.

Perfect Microwave Rice

1 cup long grain rice
1 3/4 cups water or stock
3/4 teaspoon butter or oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper


Put all ingredients in microwave safe bowl. Remember, the rice
will be expanding during cooking, so pick a large enough bowl.
Microwave on HIGH uncovered for 5 minutes. Microwave on
MEDIUM LOW, uncovered for 7 1/2 minutes. Do not stir during
the cooking process. Season with salt and fluff with a fork
just before serving.

Serves 4

Creamy Homemade Chicken Stew

1 cup lowfat evaporated milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 lbs chicken leg meat
3/4 lb small fresh button mushrooms
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups pearl onions
2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
2 1/4 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley


In a small bowl stir together milk and flour until smooth.
Place chicken, mushrooms, potatoes, onions, carrots and
peas in crockpot. Pour in milk mixture and broth. Season
with salt, pepper, marjoram and rosemary. Cook on LOW for
6 hours. Stir in parsley just before seving.

Serves 4
Refrigerate remainder
Can be reheated in microwave

Crockpot Basic Meatloaf

2 lbs lean hamburger
2 eggs
2 slices of bread, cut in small cubes
1 small onion, chopped
milk
salt and pepper
catsup


Beat the eggs and add the bread cubes. Add enough milk to
moisten. Add hamburger and onions. Squish everything well
together with your(WASHED!)hands. Place in crock pot, flatten
and shape to fit. Cover completely with catsup. Cover and cook
on LOW 9 to 12 hours. Always remember to wash your hands
before and after handling raw meat.

Serves 4 to 5
Refrigerate remainder
Can be reheated in microwave the next day

Rock Shrimp On Toast

1/4 pound butter
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
dash of pepper
1 pound of rock shrimp, peeled and deveined
(you can use kitchen scissors to cut open the)
(back of the shell and remove the meat)
4-6 slices of toast


Put butter, lemon juice, garlic salt and pepper
in casserole dish and microwave on HIGH for 1
minute. Stir well. Add shrimp and microwave on
HIGH 3-4 minutes, stirring once. Serve shrimp on
toast, pour sauce over shrimp.

Serves 2 to 3
Does not reheat well. Shrimp will become rubbery.

Au Jus Gravy for Roast Beef

That almost burnt gunk on the bottom of the roasting pan makes the best gravy. And it's easy too. Less than 5 minutes from simmer to serve.

While the roast beef is being carved, add some water to the roasting pan. How much? It's a judgement call. Probably at least 1/2 cup, maybe a full cup. It all depends upon the amount and quality of your pan drippings.

If there are lots of drippings and not much looks burned, start with 3/4 cup and add more if needed. If there isn't a lot of drippings or if it looks badly burned, start with 1/2 cup and increase if necessary.

To make the Au Jus, you simply place the roasting pan on a stove top burner and turn the burner on high. Scrape the drippings with a wooden spoon. Avoid drippings that are burned black and dry. When the Au Jus starts to boil, sprinkle all purpose Aromat once lightly all over the pan.

Continue boiling until the Aromat is disolved and the Au Jus tastes perfect.

Strain into a gravy boat and serve immediately with the Roast Beef below.

Roast Beef

This recipe will work no matter what size roast you have.

Rump Roast or Eye Round Roast
Aromat (preferably for meat but all purpose will work)
McCormick garlic powder
Pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. Place the oven shelf below the center. Line your roasting pan with double layers of heavy duty aluminum foil for easy clean up.

IMPORTANT: USE A ROASTING RACK in the pan!

The roast will be cooked fat side up, so sprinkle the seasonings on the bottom and ends first. Place the roast in the roasting rack. Then sprinkle the seasonings on the top (fat side).

Insert a meat thermometer horizontially in the center of the roast. Be sure it goes in at least 2 inches.

Place pan in the oven with the meat thermometer facing the front. Immediately decrease temperature to 350 degrees.

Cook until the meat thermometer reaches 138.5 degrees for a nice medium rare. Adjust accordingly to suit your taste.

[Tip: When the thermometer reaches 135, the roast begins to cook very fast, so watch it closely.]

Remove from oven and let the roast sit for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Slice thinly and serve with Au Jus gravy or your preference.

White Chilli

8 oz. dry pinto beans (1 1/4 cups)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 cups cooked)
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cups water
3 chicken boullion cubes
1 clove garlic (pressed)
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup onion
1 cup Monterey Jack or low fat Mozerella cheese
Lime Tortilla chips

Boil pinto beans in a large pot for 1 hour. Remove bad beans. Drain.

Cook chicken in water (braise). Cut into bite size pieces. Add pepper (if desired -- some don't like it hot) and other seasonings. Set aside.

Add water, bouillon cubes, garlic, salt and onion to the beans; return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer till beans are done, about 1 hour.

Add the chicken and spices to the beans and simmer 15 minutes more.

Top with cheese and serve lime tortilla chips on the side (optional).

Greenhouse Greek Potato Salad

1 qt. potatoes (cooked in salted water, chilled and peeled)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (Judy says, "A little onion goes a long way.")
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup + 2 Tbs. Greek Salad Dressing

Toss together, cover, chill at least 8 hours (overnight is best).

When ready add:

1 chopped apple
7 hard boiled eggs (peeled, halved and sliced)
Tomatos, cut to suit (I prefer chopped, but quarter or eights are OK)
Chopped Olives to taste
3/4 cup Greek Salad Dressing or use Helman's Mayonaise if you absolutely must.

Mix all ingredients

Add mayo or more mayo if needed
Chill until ready to serve

This is like spaghetti - it always tastes better the second day.

This is enough for a crowd. Cut the recipe in half if necessary.

Coming Soon: Greek Salad Dressing -- The Easy Way

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