Good ol' oatmeal

This isn't exactly a "family recipe," but growing up in our house meant that you could top your oatmeal with chocolate chips... but only as many chocolate chips as the number of years old you were.

Heck, it's good to be 32! Although, some days I trade out my chocolate chips for raisins.

Popover Pizza... bringing it back!

At least a dozen years had passed since I last had this dish, until last night. My copy of the recipe is written on a Mickey Mouse card and it says "from the kitchen of Mommy." I wonder the origin of my Mom's recipe...

Popover Pizza, a la Mommy

Ingredients:
1 1/2 - 2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion
15 oz jar Ragu thick and zesty
16 oz grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Brown and season beef and onion. Drain. Add Ragu to meat. Mix and put on bottom of 9x13 pan. Sprinkle mozzarella over meat. Beat egg, flour, and milk and pour over cheese layer. Sprinkle Parmesan on top. Cover with foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook 10-15 minutes more or until top is brown.

See Heidi's spin on the recipe here.

Sichuan Pork Noodles

This easy recipe is so flavorful and delicious that you will not only love it, but you'll make it again and again. It's the perfect dish to bring to a friend, especially when others tend to bring mexican or lasagna... it's just fabulous!



•l pound ground pork
•3 tablespoons rice vinegar
•3 tablespoons soy sauce
•1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce
•1-1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
•1/3 cup peanut butter
•3 tablespoons oyster sauce
•1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
•Salt
•1 pound fresh Chinese noodles or linguine (I used linguine, which I had in my pantry)
•2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Meanwhile, combine pork, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1-tablespoon soy sauce, and chili-garlic sauce in bowl. In another bowl, whisk broth, peanut butter, oyster sauce, remaining vinegar, and remaining soy sauce.

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add pork mixture and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth mixture and simmer until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon salt and noodles to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, drain noodles, and return to pot. Add sauce and toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

The flavor was amazing, spiced just perfectly and start to finish prep time to finish was 20 minutes!

Grammy's Lemon Bars

Mix together-
1 1/2 c flour
3/4 c butter
1/4 c powdered sugar
Press into 8x10 or 9x13 pan and bake 15 mins at 325.

Beat 3 eggs, 1 1/2 c sugar, 3 T flour and 3/4 c coconut juice and rind of 1 1/2 lemons. Pour over baked crust. Bake for 25 mins at 325.

Drizzle with thin powdered sugar glaze.

The 7 dips from the reunion weekend

Ole' Hot Appetizer

8 oz. cream cheese
15 oz. chili without beans
4 oz. can diced green chilies
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 oz. can sliced olives - optional
4 chopped green onions

Layer in order in pie pan. Bake at 350 for 25 min. Serve with chips.


Hot Chipped Beef Spread

8 oz. soft Philly cream cheese
1/4 C. chopped green pepper
2 T dry onion
2 T milk
1/2 t garlic salt
3-4 oz chopped dried beef
1/2 c sour cream

Mix and put in small casserole. Melt 2 T butter. Add 1/2 -1 C pecans and brown in butter. Salt them. Sprinkle on casserole. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Serve with Triscuits.


Chili Con Queso

1 # ground chuck
1# Jimmy Dean sausage with sage
Fry and drain.

4 oz. can green chilies
2 # velveeta cheese
2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce with herbs

Melt cheese. Add tomato sauce and stir. Add rest of ingredients. Keep warm in a crock pot or chafing dish. Serve with corn chips. Freezes well.

This was so good, I had to make a second batch for Saturday night!


Ultimate Spinach Dip

1 C. mayo
1 1/2 C sour cream
1 pkg. Knorr vegetable soup mix
4 green onions -optional
1 can water chestnuts
10 pkg. chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Mix all ingredients well and chill. Mix again before serving. Can be served in a bread bowl and bread from bowl cubed to be dipped! I couldn't find the bread at our local grocery store, so I cubed rolls for dipping.


Pretzel Dip

8 oz. sour cream
1 pint mayo
12 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 t celery salt
1 t garlic powder
1 t sugar
1 T parsley
2 T minced onion

Mix and chill. Serve with braided pretzels. Pretzel twists break in the dip.


Shrimp Cucumber Dip

1 med. unpared cucumber
1 C. creamy cottage cheese
2 T chopped onion
2 t vinegar
1/2 t horseradish
4 1/2 oz. can shrimp-chopped

Remove seeds from cuke- cut lengthwise. Shread enough to make 1 cup. Mix cuke, cottage cheese, onion, vinegar, and horseradish with mixer or blender- stir in shrimp. Serve with crackers or veggies.
Looks summery. Served at Mom and Dad's 25th anniversary party.

The 7th dip was a purchased veggie dip. But I'll add the dip I served at the Riley gig on Tuesday night, so you have 7!


Spicy Tailgate Dip

1 # ground pork sausage, browned and drained
2 8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
10 oz can tomatoes and green chilies

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low setting for 1-2 hours, until heated through and cream cheese is melted.
Serve with corn chips.

This is so easy and so good!

Mexican kebabs

I'm going to a cocktail party tonight and bringing these, and I know someone will ask me for the recipe, it's that good! A great summer dish, and something different for the hors d'oeuvre spread..


Make marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh oregano
1 minced garlic clove
2 tsp adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles)
Season with salt

Marinate chicken, shrimp, pork, scallops or beef and place on skewers with chorizo, zucchini, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, okra, red onions, red peppers or pineapple.

Grill or bake or broil - depending on your mood or the weather!

Serve with Chipotle Mayo

Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 finely chopped chipotles in adobo
1 T orange juice
1 tsp lime juice
3/4 tsp minced fresh oregano
1 T minced red onion
1 T minced fresh cilantro
Season with salt


(These should be grilled. Last night we had a big storm, so I baked the chicken breasts, and will cube, skewer & serve in a pool of sauce on a large platter hors d'oeuvre style) It still tastes great - the boys ate almost half of it before I could get it into the refrig....

Cook's Illustrated French Onion Soup

(Modified, and saved for posterity, since it was so good)

3 large sweet (I used Mayan) onions, sliced thin
2-4 TB butter - enough to get them cooking, and softening

Cook for 30-35 minutes until reduced, syrupy and brown.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring to a simmer
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups beef broth (*I know! I would have thought it was the other way around)
1/4 cup red wine
2 sprigs parsley (not chopped)
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf

When onions are ready, ladle some of the hot liquid into the onions, and stir it up to grab all the yummy bits from the pan, and pour it all in to the broth. Weed out the herbs after it has cooked together for a little while, maybe 5 minutes.

Cube some italian bread, ladle a good heaping portion of soup in oven proof bowls, and top with the bread and a couple of slices of swiss cheese. Top with one or two tablespoons of grated fresh parmasean, and broil for around 10 minutes or until nice and crusty.

This was the best onion soup I've ever tasted, much less come out of my kitchen.

(the recipe called for one tablespoon balsamic vinegar stirred in at the last minute but I forgot!)