Pasties
Submitted By Linda (This is my version)

Mom gave me her version in 1980 and it went kind like this... a big bag of potatoes, a big bag of carrots, a coupla three onions, 2 big rutabagas etc... I ended up winging it and this is what I have come up with.... now that I look at it, I guess mine isn't much different! LOL

Filling Ingredients
10 lbs potatoes
5 lbs carrots
2 large rutabagas (or 3 medium)
3 good-sized onions
1 lbs hamburger
½ lbs spicy (hot) pork sausage
½ lbs Italian sausage
1 Tablespoon pepper
2 Tablespoons Salt (or to taste)

Chop veggies and set aside. Mix together meats. Add veggies to meat and mix. Add Pepper and salt to mixture. Set aside.

Crust ingredients:
3 cups butter flavored shortening
3 tsp salt
12 cups flour
3 eggs
1½ cup milk

Cut shortening into flour and salt thoroughly. Stir together eggs and milk. Add milk and egg mixture gradually until flour mixture forms a ball. Divide into individual balls to be rolled into 10 inch rounds (resembling pie crust)

Roll out and scoop approximately 1 ½ cup filling mixture onto one side of the round "crust". Fold crust over top and crimp side to seal tightly. Place on un-greased cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour at 400 degrees. Serve hot or cold with ketchup. Makes 30 to 40 pasties, size may vary. Can be placed in Ziplock freezer bags after cooked to freeze.

Pigs in the Blanket
submitted by Mom

1 head of cabbage (approx. 12 cabbage leaves)
2 Tablespoons butter
1 onion
1 16 oz can tomato sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
salt
pepper
1 ½ lbs hamburger
1 cup cooked rice
1 white bread slice crumbled
1 egg
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tsp basil
1 small garlic clove crushed

About 1 ½ hours before serving cut core out of cabbage and cook covered in boiling water for 5 minutes. I usually peal off the leaves as they loosen up. Drain Set aside. Cook onion in butter for 5 minutes or until tender. Add tomato sauce, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Mix well set aside. Mix remaining ingredients, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper divide into 12. Put mixture in center of cabbage. Fold cabbage over and roll up tucking ends under. Place fold down in sauce in pan over medium heat. Boil down, simmer in oven for 45 minutes. Can use Ragu spaghetti sauce mixed with water for extra sauce if you would like.

Susie's Potato Salad
submitted by Sue

5 medium potatoes cubed and cooked till done but still firm, cooled
4-5 hard boiled eggs cut up
1 onion diced
small 1 stick celery or celery salt
1 tsp. Sugar
½ - 1 teaspoon mustard
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt (easy on the garlic)
Paprika
Miracle whip

I mix everything but the eggs and spuds first. Then mix them in when cool. Put paprika on top to just look good. I mash the eggs too because I hate big chunks

Susie's Tuna Salad
submitted by Sue

1 can tuna drained
½ cup peas
1 big box of elbow macaroni (cooked and cooled)
1 small onion diced
1 stalk celery diced (or celery salt)
1 tsp sugar
½ -1 tsp mustard
Salt
Pepper
Garlic salt
Miracle Whip

I mix everything but the macaroni, peas and tuna first. Then mix them in when cool. Put paprika on top to just look good. You can put eggs if you want but I don't.

White Chili
submitted by Mary

48 oz jar Great Northern Beans
4 cups cooked chicken chopped
1 TBLS Oil
2 medium onions
4 cloves garlic (I use minced jar kind)
3 tsp. Ground cumin
1½ tsp. Oregano
¼ tsp. Cayenne pepper
6 cups chicken stock or broth
2- 4 oz. cans green chilies
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup precooked chopped celery

Sauté onion and garlic in the oil and then add all other ingredients with the chicken broth.

Mary's Pasties (10-12)
submitted by Mary

Filling:
5# potatoes
1# carrots
1 sm. rutabaga
2 onions
3# hamburger
1# pork sausage
1 TBS. Salt
1 Tsp. Pepper

Peel all vegetables and chop into bite-sized pieces. Mix lightly with meat and seasonings in large bowl.

Crust:
6 c. flour
1 c. shortening
2 eggs beaten w/water to equal 2 c.
1 tsp. Salt

Blend flour, salt and shortening until it feels like gravel. Add 1 cup of water to start with mixing with a fork. Add more until your dough is pliable like pie crust. It should be a little sticky because it will dry out when you roll it with flour. Divide dough into 10 or 12 balls for the amount of pasties you want to make. I make a variety of sizes so I have smaller ones for lunch and large ones for big eaters. Roll like pie crust into circles. Place 1 1/2 to 2 cups of filling on one half of the crust. Fold the other half over the top and crimp edges closed. Bake about an hour at 375 degrees.

Hints:
1. If you are making a mess make a BIG mess!
2. Use your hands for mixing.
3. Roll out all dough circles and spread them out on counter or table to fill. Divide up the filling so you don't have extra of either.
4. Cool and freeze in ziplock bags. Heat from frozen about 45 min. in oven.
5. In a rush: Put filling in 9x13 pan and cover with crust. Bake a little longer.
6. Easily modified: Use more or less of anything!

Sunday Stew for Weeknights
submitted by Linda

I got this recipe from "my good friend" Rachel Ray... no, I have never met her but she seems so down to earth it feels like you have known her forever!

2 TBLS olive oil
24 ounces red meat(any kind of red meat... I use elk or venison), trimmed and cut into bit sized pieces
Salt and Pepper
1 onion
2 TBLS butter
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 carrots, 1/2 inch slices
2 ribs celery,chopped
1 LB small red potatoes quartered or regular potatoes cut up
2 Tsp Thyme leaves
2 Bay leaves
2 TBLS flour
1 cup red wine(optional)
2 cups beef stock or you can substitute beef bouillon
2 cubes veggie bouillon
1 TBLS grape jelly(optional)

Cook meat with salt and pepper in olive oil over high heat for two minutes on each side. Remove meat from pan and reduce heat to medium high. Add butter to pan and onions, garlic, carrot, celery and potatoes. Season veggies with salt and pepper. Add thyme and bay leaves, Sauté veggies for 10 minutes. Add flour, cook one minute. Whisk in red wine and reduce 1 minutes. Whisk in broth and bring to a boil. Stir in jelly. Add meat, simmer for 7-10 minutes. Serve will good bread! Eat up!

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
Submitted by Linda

I once served this to some business associates that I was "entertaining from out of town". I made it after working all day running my daycare at home, and while doing homework, taking care of my own two kids and cleaning the house! The woman actually told me she thought it looked like a meal right out of Sunset magazine(a very popular upper end magazine out here)!! She was very impressed and I just had to laugh because it is one of the easiest things to make!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets
4 thin ham slices
4 thin slices of jack or Swiss cheese
1/4 c melted butter
1 c seasoned bread crumbs

Pound chicken with mallet until 1/4 inch thick. Place one slice ham and cheese, roll up and fasten with a toothpick. Roll chicken in butter then in bread crumbs. Remove toothpick and place open side down in lightly oiled pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Great served with rice and steamed veggies.
Helpful hint: If you place the chicken breast inside a ziplock freezer bag you can pound it with the side of the mallet and not have a splattered chicken mess everywhere!

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Submitted by Linda

I have been making this for over 25 years and it is still one of my favorites!

1/4 cup each;
sugar
white vinegar
ketchup
orange juice
soy sauce
white wine of cooking sherry
and 1/8 c cornstarch blended with 1/2 cup water

Mix together the above ingredients and set aside:

You will also need:
4 chicken breasts(or equal) cut up in bit sized pieces
1 thinly sliced green bell pepper( red, yellow or orange are great too but cost more)
2 carrots sliced(I use a potato peeler)
1 can pineapple chunks

Stir fry chicken 3/4 of the way done in a little bit of hot oil. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Lightly dust with just enough cornstarch to coat. Quick fry in small amount of oil until browned. Remove from heat.

In another pan, quick fry bell peppers, and carrots until just about done. Reduce heat to medium and add chicken and sauce stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Add pineapple. Heat through. Serve over rice.

Chicken Diane
Submitted by Linda

This is great if you like things with a little zip but for the more sensitive mouths there is an alternate spice variation.

6 Oz uncooked spaghetti or vermicelli noodles
1/2 cup butter
3 to 5 tsp Cajun spice ( if you prefer a milder dish you can use the equivalent amount of a combo of poultry seasoning, celery salt, pepper, and parsley)
3/4 LB chicken cut into thin strips(uncooked)
3 cups fresh mushrooms thinly sliced
1/4 c green onions chopped
1 tsp garlic
3 TBL parsley
1 c chicken broth

Cook past until just undercooked. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In bowl combine 1/2 butter melted, Cajun seasoning and chicken. Quick fry chicken until browned. Add mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add green onion, parsley, garlic and broth. Bring to a boil. Add rest of the butter stirring constantly. Cook for 3 more minutes. Add pasta. Cook for a couple more minutes and serve hot! I really like serving this with cooked frozen peas or broccoli. They go together well!

Spaghetti Pie
Submitted by Linda

This is a fun alternative to spaghetti and easier then lasagna... My kids loved it!

6 oz spag noodles
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 well beaten eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
approx. 2 1/2 cups spag sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles and stir in butter. Add parm. cheese and eggs. Form mixture into buttered deep 10 inch pie plate like a "crust". Spread cottage cheese over bottom of the "crust". Heat spag sauce until hot and pour over cottage cheese. Bake uncovered in 350 oven for 20 - 30 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Bake and additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting. Serves 5-6

Peg's Way-Easy Chicken Dinner
Submitted by Linda

I started making this when I lived in Illinois. One of the mom's of the kids playgroup(Peggy Peach) gave it to me. The kids even liked it and at that time they didn't like anything but oatmeal, Mac and cheese and chicken nuggets!

4 chicken breasts(you can leave them whole or cut them up)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz sour cream
1/2 pkg. onion soup mix
1 c sliced mushrooms

Place chicken in greased shallow baking pan. Mix together soup, sour cream, and onion soup mix. Place mushrooms on top of chicken and cover with soup mixture. Sprinkle top with seasoned bread crumbs (or you can used those onion crunchy things) Bake at 350 fro 45 minutes. Serve over rice, egg noodles or baked potato, don't forget your veggies! Serves 4