Place salad dressing or oil in a small flat dish. Place bread crumbs in another flat dish. Dip both sides of pork chops into dressing or oil. Coat pork chops on both sides with crumb, salt and pepper mixture. Place coated pork chops into an oven proof glass pan.
Bake at 400° for 25 to 30 minutes or until pork chops are fully cooked.
In a large pot, add potatoes cut into fourths, 3 celery stalks cut into 1 inch pieces, carrots cut into small ends long and fat ends short, and onion if desired.
Cover vegetables with water, add bullion cubes and gently boil until vegetables
are soft. Add sausage and cabbage and continue boiling for about 15 minutes
or until cabbage is tender. Transfer to serving dish with slotted spoon.
In a frying pan, brown diced onions, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil. Add a pinch of oregano, marjoram and thyme.
Simmer tomatoes, sauce and paste with a pinch of oregano, marjoram and thyme. Add the browned onions, garlic and mushrooms
Continue simmering for a minimum of 8 hours. Add fish about 45 minutes before serving. Serves 8.
| Nana's Note: |
In a frying pan cook onions, celery, green pepper, garlic and optional mushrooms in oil until glossy, stir frequently. Add beef and cook until brown. Blend in tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cook slowly for about one hour, stirring occasionally.
In a bowl combine eggs and 1 tablespoon water. Place bread crumbs on a plate. Coat eggplant with egg mixture, then with crumbs.
In a frying pan cook slices, a few at a time, in hot oil until brown and crisp on both sides.
Layer ingredients as follows: 1/2 of eggplant, 1/2 Parmesan cheese, 1/2 Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 tomato mixture. Repeat layer. Bake at 325° for 40-50 minutes until bubbly. Serves six.
| Nana's Tip: As an option, add fresh mushrooms. |
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Brown ground beef and celery, drain. Add all ingredients except for Chow Mein noodles. Stir.
Pour mixture into oven-safe cookware. Top with Chow Mein noodles.
Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes.
Nana's Tip: Add a fruity burst of flavor by serving Mandarin oranges, or pineapple chunks, on the side. Substitute fresh bean sprouts if desired. Learn more about the recipe. |
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Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Cook macaroni according to package directions until al dente. Drain and return to pan; set aside.
While pasta cooks, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk; cook 3 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from heat.
Add shredded cheese and stir until melted. Stir in nutmeg, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Stir sauce, ham into macaroni. Scrape into a greased baking dish and top with breadcrumbs.
Bake 15 minutes or until bubbly. Feeds 6-8.
Nana's Note: The dish displayed in the image was made with all Swiss cheese. After some experimentation, we discovered that we like using all Cheddar cheese. For extra flair, add 1 cup thawed frozen peas (as pictured). |
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Wash potatoes then cut in half, leave skin on. Cook covered in microwave oven for 4-5 minutes on high (rotate once if necessary). Potatoes should be only partially cooked; they should still be hard and crunchy when stuck with a fork. Let them cool, then grate potatoes.
Preheat olive oil in a 10-inch non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Use a pan with curved sides to make removing the pizza easier.
Place potatoes in an even, flat layer in the pan to form the "pizza crust." Cook uncovered for 12-15 minutes. It's done when golden brown on the bottom and the crust slides as one piece when moved with a spatula. Salt and pepper to taste.
Use a spatula to slide the crust onto a plate. Place another plate onto the first plate and flip over. If the potato layer breaks don't worry, the layer of cheese and other toppings will hide the break. Continue cooking uncovered for 8-10 minutes, until potatoes are browned equally on each side.
Place cheese, olives, meat and whatever else you want on top of the potato pizza. Cook covered until cheese is melted and pizza toppings are warm. Slide pizza out of pan, place on a pizza pan or cutting board. Cut into slices with a knife or rotating pizza cutter.
Serves 2-4. This versatile dish can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner -- kids love it!
| Nana's Tip: Add onion, tomato, avocado, artichoke
hearts, green peppers or anything else you might find on a pizza.
Frozen hash brown potatoes may be used, but hash browns from scratch (with skins) make a more cohesive "crust." |
Combine milk with ground beef, onion, cracker crumbs and salt. Form six 4 inch individual patties by pressing each one between waxed paper. Brown patties in skillet in small amount of cooking oil; pour off fat.
Drain pineapple chunks; combine pineapple syrup with water to make one cup.
In a sauce pan, mix corn starch and brown sugar together. Mix pineapple juice
and soy sauce, add to cornstarch mixture and blend until smooth. Heat until
thickened and clear; add pineapple and green pepper. Pour sauce over patties;
simmer covered, over low heat for 15 minutes. Yield: 6 servings.
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Sauce: Mix together the following ingredients:
We'll be making two identical layers by using half of the ingredients for each layer.
Repeat steps 1 through 5 using the remaining ingredients to complete the second layer.
Cook on high 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until hot enough to serve (slow cooker temperatures
vary). If necessary, turn to low to keep warm. Serve hot.
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Brown meat and onion. Remove grease and add tomato sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and olives. Optional corn may be added at this time.
Alternate tortillas, meat sauce and cheese, ending with cheese on top, in 2 quart casserole dish. Pour water over the top, cover and bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Uncover and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Nana's Note: This is a traditional casserole that playfully adds the word "pie" to its name. Nana enjoyed preparing this family-favorite recipe she originally received from Sandy Wagener. Stephanie Welton re-worked the recipe and simplified the cooking instructions. |
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Beat eggs with catchup, then add bread crumbs. Add remaining ingredients to the mixture. Mix with hands. It is important that the mixture is firm so the balls will hold their shape. If necessary, add more bread crumbs to achieve proper consistency.
Take 1/2 cup of mixture and form into a ball. Make a hole in the center with your thumb. Fill with a cube of cheddar cheese and cooked mushrooms, cover hole and fry in oil to brown. The recipe will produce about 7 large meat balls.
Place in a baking dish. Bake covered at 325 to 350° for about 1 hour.
Remove from oven. Drain grease (if any) from the baking dish. Cover meatballs with tomato juice and return to the oven until tomato juice is warm.
| Nana's Tip: Because this recipe makes several large meatballs, I bake the meatball without adding the sauce. Then I add warm sauce to the meat balls we will eat. The remaining meatballs are frozen for future use. The thawed meatballs can be warmed in a small amount of sauce. |
| Nana's Note: Aunt Ange's niece, Gale Marchiorlatti,
gave this recipe to me. Here are some suggestions that Gale made:
I make these meatballs the size of tennis balls. I put the carrots, celery, bell pepper, garlic, some fresh parsley, fresh basil and onion in a Cuisinart food processor. Instead of tomato juice on top of meat balls I use marinara or red sauce. I use string cheese. I cook the meat balls first for about 45 minutes at 350° on a broiler pan so the fat drips off. I don't fry in oil. |
Drain pineapple well, reserve syrup. Mix together beef, egg, bread crumbs, onion, salt, cloves, all spice and the 2 tablespoons syrup. Mold small amount of meat mixture around each pineapple chunk.
Place meat balls in a 12x8 Pyrex dish. Cover with wax paper. Microwave at high for 4 minutes. Pour off meat juices.
Stir together syrup, ketchup and brown sugar. Pour over drained meatballs.
Microwave at high 3 to 5 minutes longer, until done.
| Nana's Tip: Serve with rice or noodles, or serve with toothpicks as an appetizer. |
With a small amount of oil in a frying pan, brown the above ingredients and remove fat.
To the meat ingredients add:
Simmer the above ingredients for 15 minutes.
Combine part two ingredients and add 1/2 of part one ingredients to all of part two ingredients.
In a greased baking dish (9x13"), arrange one layer of cooked noodles and cover with spinach mixture, alternate combining mixtures until all of the spinach mixture and noodles are used. Cover top with remainder of part one sauce.
Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. During the last ten minutes sprinkle with
grated cheese and continue baking...and then collapse, you're done!!!
| Nana's Note: June gave this recipe to me shortly after she had new drapes made for their living room. She signed the recipe "Mock Ravioli" by the Drapery Lady! June's ever present sense of humor is apparent in this recipe! |
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Bring 3 quarts lightly salted water to a boil in a covered large pot. Have
a large, deep skillet ready.
While water comes to a boil, quarter zucchini lengthwise, then slice crosswise;
peel and de-vein shrimp, and seed and dice the tomatoes.
Add pasta to boiling water and cook uncovered, stirring often for seven minutes.
Add zucchini and cook until pasta is firm-tender and zucchini is tender, about
3 minutes longer. Drain in a colander.
While pasta is cooking, heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, salt and pepper. Sauté until shrimp turns pink.
Add the drained cooked pasta and zucchini, tomatoes and Alfredo sauce. Stir
gently until blended and thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with parsley; serve immediately
with grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.
In an 8 to 12 cup glass measuring cup, combine broth and corn meal. Microwave on high (100%) 12-15 minutes until very thick, stirring occasionally. Stir in butter or margarine, shredded mozzarella, salt and pepper.
Line a 13x9 inch jelly roll pan with waxed paper; oil the paper. Spread polenta mixture in an even layer in pan. Let cool while preparing sauce.
With a cookie cutter or knife, cut shapes from cooled polenta. Arrange on serving platter; top with sauce. Microwave at high 7 to 10 minutes until both polenta and sauce are hot.
To serve, sprinkle polenta and sauce with Parmesan. Garnish with basil leaves.
Serve hot. Makes four servings.
Adapted from the Good Housekeeping Microwave Cookbook
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In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except cheddar cheese. Spoon into a greased two quart casserole.
Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 15 minutes (or until bubbly). Top with cheese and bake 5 minutes longer.
| Nana's Tip: The recipe is perfect for parties, because it can be prepared early in the day and baked later on after the guests arrive. |
In a 1 quart measuring cup or casserole blend together brown sugar, cornstarch, mustard and cloves until well combined. Stir in water or apple cider and lemon until smooth. Add raisins and butter.
Microwave at high 4 to 6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until clear and thickened.
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Spaghetti
Pie
From the kitchen of Norma (Nana) Welton
See How-To Kitchen step-by-step
pictorial
Cook spaghetti according to instructions. Stir in butter, Parmesan cheese and eggs while spaghetti is still warm. Press spaghetti into a deep dish pie pan.
Brown meat and drain, add onions, green peppers cook until tender. Mix in seasonings, chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook until all ingredients are warm.
Spread cottage cheese over pressed spaghetti. Add meat mixture and bake for 20 minutes at 350°. Remove from oven spread mozzarella cheese on top and bake 5 minutes more. Cut into pie shaped pieces and serve.
| Nana's Tip: Ricotta cheese or sour cream can be substituted for cottage cheese. Two cups of any commercial jar spaghetti sauce or your own home made sauce can be substituted for the sauce ingredients in the recipe. Or, use Nana's own sauce recipe. |
In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine ground beef, mushrooms, onion and garlic. Microwave at high 5 minutes, or just until meat loses its pink color, stirring occasionally. Drain off fat.
Stir tomatoes with liquid, sugar, tomato paste, salt, basil and thyme leaves into meat mixture. Microwave covered on high for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Reduce power level to medium (50%) and cook 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
Make 3-4 cups.
Bring to a boil. Place in quart jar in refrigerator for long-term storage.
| Nana's Tip: Good for chicken, spare ribs, pork chops and more. |
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Cut uncooked pork chops into strips 2 inches by 1/2 inch wide. Brown meat slightly in shortening; add water and vinegar. Cover and simmer pork until cooked and tender.
Combine brown sugar, corn starch, salt, pineapple juice and soy sauce; cook until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over pork simmer on low for five minutes.
Add green pepper, onion and pineapple chunks; simmer another 2 or 3 minutes more. Serve with hot fluffy rice or noodles.
| Nana's Tip: Left-over pork chops or pork roast can
also be used. |
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Preheat oven to 400°. Mix tuna with all ingredients. Spread tuna mixture evenly on to lightly toasted muffins.
Place tuna-topped muffins in an 11x7 inch baking dish. Heat in oven for 10 -15 minutes. Remove from oven, top with your choice of cheese.
Increase oven temperature to broil. When broiling heat is achieved, place muffins under broiler on middle rack for about 1 and 1/2 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Keep oven door open and constantly watch to prevent over-cooking the cheese.
| Nana's Tip: Place a slice of tomato on each English muffin before adding tuna mixture. Bake as directed. If desired, you may substitute white albacore tuna with any other tuna of your choice. |
| Nana's Note: Any left-over muffins will freeze
nicely for later (except those with added tomato). To eat later, completely
thaw frozen muffins; then warm muffins in a 400° oven for 10-15 minutes,
or 20 seconds for each muffin in a microwave oven. |
In a microwave-safe 6 cup container, add 1 and 1/2 cups milk and butter. Place in the microwave, warm the milk for 2 minutes on high. Do not allow milk to boil.
Place corn starch in a small bowl and add remaining 1/2 cup cold milk. Mix until smooth. Add to warm milk and stir with a wire whisk.
Cook milk mixture in the microwave, on high, for 1 minute and stir. Remove from microwave and add tuna. Continue cooking on high until thickened, stirring 2 or 3 times. Add peas and finely chopped egg. Pour over toast or English muffin.
| Nana's Tip: Try using the tuna mixture as a gravy over mashed or baked potatoes. |
| Nana's Note: If the tuna is not solid packed, you may want to use two cans. You may substitute the Albacore tuna for other tuna types if you desire. |
Mix bread cubes with celery, onion, salt and sage. Place one half of the bread mixture in the bottom of a 9x12 inch pan.
Add a layer of turkey, then add the remaining bread cubes. Mix soup, chicken broth and water. Pour liquid over bread mixture.
Bake for 1 hour at 350°. Cool for 10 minutes, then cut into squares.
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Vegetable Rice Medley
From the kitchen of David Welton
Spray Pam (or equivalent non-stick cooking oil) into a large non-stick skillet. Brown ingredients in skillet by adding in the following order: sausage, zucchini, tomato, and avocado.
After sausage and zucchini are browned, add tomatoes and avocados. The tomato and avocado should cook into a soft mush. Blend mixture into hot cooked rice. Season as desired. Serves about 4.
| Nana's Tip: I prefer using Apple Chicken pre-cooked sausage, but you could substitute any other lean, pre-cooked sausage or meat. |
