Oven Baked Red Potatoes

1 tbsp. butter, melted

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. pepper

3/4 tsp. basil

3/4 tsp. oregano

3/4 tsp. salt

4 lg. unpeeled red potatoes

Mix together all ingredients except potatoes. Cut potatoes into wedges and add to oil and seasoning mixture. Toss to coat, then stand on edge on cookie sheet. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese over potatoes. Bake 30 minutes at 425 degrees until golden brown.

Mandarin Pasta Spinach Salad with Teriyaki Dressing

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bowtie pasta noodles
• 4 cups spinach leaves
• ½ cup craisins
• ⅓ cup pine nuts - or cashews
• 1 4-ounce can mandarin oranges - drained
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves - roughly chopped

Dressing

• ⅓ cup teriyaki sauce - (the thicker, the better!) I use Yoshidas 
• ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar - (may sub apple cider vinegar)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder - (if you have it)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ cup oil - (such as vegetable oil, canola oil, olive oil)

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

While pasta is boiling, prepare the dressing. In a jar combine all dressing ingredients. Cover and shake to combine. Chill until ready to use.

In a large bowl toss together pasta, spinach, raisins, nuts, mandarin oranges, and cilantro. Just before serving pour dressing over salad, toss, and serve.

Dad's Beef Stew

¼ cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 lb beef stew meat

3 Tbs oil

½ cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic minced

1 teaspoon crushed thyme

2 bay leaves 

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 can V8 juice

1 can diced tomatoes

Few dashes of tabasco sauce if desired

1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules

Vegetables can be adjusted for personal preference

4 medium potatoes

1 ½ cups carrots

1½ cups celery

Combine flour, salt and pepper and coat beef with flour mixture. Heat 3 Tbsp of oil and brown coated meat. Add onions, garlic and thyme and cook until onions are soft and clear. Add bay leaves, V8, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon granules, sugar and tabasco sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 1/4 hours. Add vegetables, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes more.

Apple Crisp

Filling ingredients:

• 3 pounds of a variety of good cooking apples such as Granny Smith, Pippin, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Gravenstein

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 tablespoon flour

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crumble:

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 3/4 + 3/8 cup old fashioned oats
• 3/4 + 3/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced into small cubes
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of kosher salt

1. Prep the apples:

Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut them into 1/4 to 1/2 inch chunks. As you prep the apples, add them to a bowl and toss with lemon juice to keep them from oxidizing (turning brown).

2. Make the filling:

Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the chopped apples (and the lemon juice from the bowl), sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss to coat with everything so that the spices and sugar are well distributed throughout the apples.

Partially cover the pot and cook until the apples are just tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the vanilla, and toss to coat with a tablespoon of flour.

Place filling in 9x13 baking dish.

3. Make Crumble Topping:

In a separate mixing bowl, add topping ingredients (brown sugar, oats, flour,  cinnamon, salt, and diced cold butter). Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the oat mixture, using a slight downward twisting motion, until mixture resembled pea-sized crumbs. Alternatively, you can use two forks or even your hands to cut butter into the mixture.

4. Sprinkle topping on top of filling. Bake at 350° for 35 min until golden brown and bubbly. 

Crab Salad

Crab Salad

8 Oz. Crab or imitation crab meat

1/2 Cup chopped celery

1/4 Cup cream cheese

2 Tbsp Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp sliced black olives

1 1/2 Tbsp green onions

1/4 tsp dill weed

pepper to taste

Mix cream cheese and mayonnaise until creamy.  Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Chill for several hours before serving.

Black Bottom Cherry Pie

1 (15 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese 

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 can cherry pie filling

standard pastry (below) 

Oreo crumb crust (below)

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 T. sugar

Standard Pastry

1 C. flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 C. + 2 Tbsp. shortening

3 to 5 Tbsp. ice cold water water

1. Stir flour, then spoon lightly into measuring cup. Level.

2. Place flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir together. 

3. Measure shortening and use pastry blender to cut the shortening into the flour until rice-like.

4. Sprinkle in water 1 Tbsp. at a time, mixing with your rubber scraper or a large spoon until flour is moistened, and dough almost cleans the sides of the bowl. (The less you handle it, the flakier the crust will be.) 

5. Gather dough into a ball. Flatten on a lightly floured board, and roll into a large, even circle. Put in 9" glass pie pan, crimp edges and poke with fork. 

6. Bake at 450°. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Oreo Crumb Crust

1 cup finely crushed Oreo cookie crumbs

3 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Combine cookie crumbs and sugar. Add butter, blend until all crumbs are evenly moist

2. Pat 3/4 of the mixture over the bottom of a single-crust baked 9-inch pie crust. 

3. Use the remaining 1/4 of the mixture to sprinkle on the whipped cream at serving.

Filling

1. Soften cream cheese and beat until fluffy.

2. Add milk, slowly, while beating. Add lemon juice, vanilla and beat well.

 

3. Pour into crust. Chill and then top with cherry pie filling.

To serve: Whip the whipping cream and gradually add 2 Tbsp. sugar. Top each slice of pie with whipped cream and chocolate cookie crumbs.

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2 lbs round steak or sirloin tip steak

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 1/2 cups beef broth or bullion

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

garlic salt to taste

1 lb bag of egg noodles.

1 cup sour cream

1 can mushroom soup

Cut steak into bite sized strips. Mix flour salt and pepper in a plastic bag and add meat to bag.  Shake the bag until all pieces are evenly coated with flour.  Add a small amount of oil to a skillet and brown the meat.  Drain excess grease.  Add beef broth, onion, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt. Bring to a boil and simmer or low heat for 1 1/4 hours adding water as necessary.  Fifteen minutes prior to the meat being done prepare the egg noodles according to package instructions. When meat has finished simmering add mushroom soup and sour cream and mix thoroughly.  Serve over cooked noodles.