Tag: favorite recipe

Frijoles Charros

Frijoles Charro

I found this recipe in the Penzey spice magazine and have made it several times and shared it with others. It has become a favorite recipe for Mexican flavored beans. I really love this recipe. The credit for it goes to Chris Kraft of Tucson, AZ. It is a delicious combination of flavors that really works. This recipe introduced me to epazote, a Mexican herb. Apparently it has been used in Mexican cuisine for thousands of years and dates back to the Aztecs. It is said to relieve the gassiness that can be created from eating beans. Not sure if it works, but I have been adding it to some of my Mexican dishes and soups and do enjoy the flavor it adds. Also I have made this without the bacon, creating a vegetarian version of these frjioles.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pinto beans, dry
  • 14 cups water, divided
  • 1 Tablespoon dry epazote
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 fresh chili peppers, roasted and chopped (like Anaheim, pablano,red chili, jalapeno)
  • 4 strips thick bacon
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions
Place the beans in a large pot with 7 cups of the water. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered for 1 to 3 hours. Pour off the cooking water, rinse the beans and add 7 cups of fresh water, epazote, garlic and half of the chopped onion. Simmer until beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hour.
Add the salt for the last 30 minutes.
Roast the chili peppers in a 400 degree oven until the skin browns and bubbles. Let cool, peel off the skin, discard the skin and seeds, and chop the peppers. Set aside. While the beans are simmering, fly the bacon until almost crisp. Remove the bacon from the frying pan and drain the fat from the pan. Add the olive oil and when the oil is hot, add the remaining 1/2 of onion, tomato, garlic, and roasted pepper. Cook for 1 minutes. Now add to the beans along with the bacon and cilantro. Simmer for 5 more minutes.

Categories
Cookies

Magic 6-in-1 Cookies

Baking Supplies
Baking Supplies
I ran across this old favorite recipe recently and thought I would share it. It is a good recipe to have on hand during the Holidays. Also it is a great recipe for using up those little dabs of ingredients that aren’t enough to do much with.
Ingredients

  • 3 cups flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup butter, slightly melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cup (14 ounce can) Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

Directions
In a large bowl, combine all of the above ingredients and blend thoroughly.
Now for the fun part, choose 1 1/2 cups of an item or combination of items from the list below or anything of your choosing. Also you can divide the batter and add different ingredients to each portion.

  • any flavor baking chips (chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch, etc)
  • nuts
  • raisins
  • cornflakes or other cereal
  • dates
  • coconut
  • dried fruits
  • M&M’s
  • sunflower seeds

Drop cookies by level tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake @ 350 degrees for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Remove from baking sheet immediately.

Old Fashioned Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This is another of those oldie but goodie favorite recipes. It was given to me by my son’s best friend’s mother. Easy to understand why they spent so much time at his house.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 can (15-16 ounces) sliced pineapple, drained
  • maraschino cherries
  • pecan halves
  • 1 yellow cake mix, prepared per package directions (can use drained pineapple juice for liquid)


Directions
Melt butter in a 13×9 inch pan. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Next arrange pineapple slices over that. Place one cherry in center of each pineapple ring. Arrange pecans around pineapple. Carefully pour cake batter evenly over fruit. Bake as directed on cake mix or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in middle. Invert pan onto plate, let pan set for a few minutes before removing. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole

My Green Bean Casserole Dish
My Green Bean Casserole Dish

This is everyone’s favorite recipe and a must serve at Thanksgiving at our house. No recipe collection would be complete without it. There are many variations, but I still like this original recipe the best. I have a cute story regarding this dish. One of my daughters has Tunisian relatives. She had house guests from Tunisia and served them green bean casserole. They raved over it and wanted to know the ‘secret’ for the wonderful sauce. Being the smart woman that she is, she just winked and said, “Oh, it is an old family recipe and my mother would kill me if I shared it”.

Ingredients

  • 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • dash pepper
  • 4 cups cooked cut green beans
  • 1 1 /3 cup French’s French fried onions

Directions
Mix soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in 1 1/2 quart casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until hot. Stir and then sprinkle with remaining onions. Bake 5 minutes more.

Baby Back Ribs with Spiced Apple Cider Mop

Ribs
Ribs
This is a great favorite recipe if you are a barbecued rib lover and love to grill. The recipe came from a Weber Grill Cookbook. It is great for making smoked ribs in a few hours. They do require frequent basting, thus can be a bit time consuming, certainly worth all the extra effort. Try them and you will agree that they are some of the best ribs you’ll ever eat.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups apple cider
  • 1/4 cup minced shallots or green onions
  • 1 Tablespoon minced jalapeno peppers, seeds removed
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 to 3 slabs baby back pork ribs, about 4 pounds
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
To make the mop, combine the apple cider, shallots and jalapeno a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook over medium-high heat until about 1 cup of liquid remains. Then add ketchup, vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Again bring to a boil and then remove from heat. At this point you can refrigerate mop until ready to use.

Let ribs stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Heat grill to medium indirect heat (on my Weber gas grill, I turn off middle burner and only burn the 2 side burners). Place ribs on grill, rib side down. Baste ribs frequently with the mop throughout the grilling time. It should take 1 1/2 to 2 hours. They are done when the meat is very tender and pulls back from the ends of the bones. Stop basting during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Categories
My Favorite Recipes

Jeanie and Kent Hrbek’s Stuffed Shells

Pasta Sauce
Pasta Sauce
This is a favorite recipe of mine from many years ago when Kent Hrbek was a Minnesota Twins Superstar. I don’t remember where I got the recipe, but my best guess would be that it was in the local newspaper. It is a delicious vegetarian recipe, but is also enjoyed by meat lovers.

Ingredients

  • 10 ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and well drained
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 10 ounces shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 Tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup dried parsley
  • 12 ounces jumbo pasta shells, cooked, drained, and cooled
  • 30 ounce jar chunky spaghetti sauce with tomatoes and mushrooms
  • 8 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoon sugar
  • Additional shredded Parmesan

Directions
Make a spinach mixture by combining the spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, eggs,
1 1/2 teaspoon of the fennel, nutmeg and 1/4 cup of the parsley. Fill each pasta shell with 1 heaping teaspoon of the spinach cheese mixture. Arrange in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Heat the spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, sugar, remaining fennel and parsley. Pour over stuffed shells. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until bubbly.

Nani’s Winter Salad

Fruit Salad
Fruit Salad
This is a favorite recipe for a good salad that I got from my daughter. The ingredients are available any time of the year. You’ll love it.

Ingredients

  • 1 to 1 1/2 heads Romaine lettuce, torn into chunks
  • 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 cup craisins
  • 1 cup cashew pieces
  • 1 apple, cubed
  • 1 pear, cubed
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
  • 1 Tablespoon grated onion
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 2/3 cup olive oil

Directions
Combine lettuce, cheese, craisins, cashews, and fruit in large bowl. Comibine the sugar, salt, mustard, poppy seeds, onion, and lemon juice in a blender. Slowly add the oil to the blender while blending (can also shake dressing ingredients in shaker). Just before serving, toss salad with dressing.

Nani’s Favorite Homemade Granola

I love homemade granola and this is my favorite recipe. You can vary the ingredients to your liking, but this is my favorite combination.

Ingredients

  • 5 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup wheat germ
  • 1 cup powdered milk
  • 1 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/2 cup sesame seeds
  • 1 cup coconut
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Directions
Mix all dry ingredients together in a large roasting pan. Mix honey and oil together and pour over dry ingredients. Stir. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Additional Tips

  • If raisins or other dried fruits are desired, add after cooking
  • To reduce calories, use 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup oil
  • Powdered milk is added to increase nutrition, can be omitted
  • Can add or substitute bran, flax seed, pecans, walnuts, etc.

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Nani’s Version of Smokin’ Jeff’s Coleslaw

Cole Slaw
Cole Slaw
I made a variation of a coleslaw recipe that I got from a favorite website of mine, Smoking-meat.com. It was my son-in-law’s birthday and the main dish was smoked pork sandwiches. I was asked to bring the coleslaw and I revised the recipe that I found on the Smoking Meats website. It received 2 thumbs up from the crowd and now has become another of my favorite recipes. Try pulled pork and coleslaw on a bun. Scrumptious!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup white vinegar
  • 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
  • 1 Tablespoon celery salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 large head of cabbage, sliced thin
  • 1 green pepper, chopped or julienne
  • 1 red pepper, chopped or julienne
  • 1 red onion, sliced thin
  • 2 carrots, julienne
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon celery salt

Directions
Place the vinegars, sugar, mustard powder, 1 Tablespoon celery salt, and pepper in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over low hear, simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Mix the vegetables and 1 teaspoon celery salt in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and the cooled dressing. Mix well.