Thanksgiving Pies, Anyone?

Just curious if anyone is interested in getting together for a pie fest after dinner on Thanksgiving. Kevin's sister Leslie has made it a tradition in their family and it looks like so much fun. If I got the info straight in my head, you just bring your favorite pies (or not if you only want to eat) and everyone samples the wares. If any of you are liking the idea, or have an idea of your own, just leave a comment and the cooks of this nook will endeavor to make it happen. It would be cool to start a new tradition we could all enjoy.

Spaghetti Sauce - So Gooooood!

October just seems to be the month we eat spaghetti. Probably because we would take all our kids to Papa and Nana's house to trick or treat. We all lived there at different times, so knew the neighbors well. It was and is still a great neighborhood to trick or treat in. Nana would always make spaghetti for the kids to eat before they went out. It sort of evolved into a tradition and after a few years we all came looking for the spaghetti dinner on Halloween. We would hand candy (gobs of it) out the side gate of their house to all the trick or treaters. Good stuff to the little ones, penny candy to the ones too old to be out. We have our standards after all. Hope you like this recipe, it is really good.

Of course spaghetti is good anytime and we eat a lot of it during the year. October just inspires the good memories of time spent at Nana's bar eating a quick dinner before the sugar buzzz began. My family loves spaghetti, but as you know, everyone has their own little twist when they make it. There are many great recipes out there for spaghetti sauce. Taya married into a really good sauce recipe (thanks Kevin), but I am basically lazy, so I have simplified it, but kept the general flavor. Taya and Kevin will put their version in our file too, but in the meantime…

Everything in it could be on your pantry shelf, or in your garden. 

Spaghetti Sauce  in a Hurry

In a stock pot combine:

1 jar approx. 4# spaghetti sauce (I use Prego because that’s what Costco carries and I like it)

1 28 oz can tomatoes (already chunked or whole and you can cut them however you like)

a pinch of basil, (fresh is good if you have it)

a pinch of oregano (also good fresh if you have it)

In a large skillet brown:

2# lean ground beef

optional: can substitute 1# hot spicy Italian sausage for 1# ground beef 

2 cloves fresh garlic chopped as fine as you like

2 onions

Red onions are good, I use brown or mayan sweet, but they all work

Salt to taste

Brown until onions and garlic are very tender and beef is well done. If your beef is lean enough, by the time it is well done there should be very little if any fat left in the pan. Drain if necessary and add to stock pot.

Deglaze the skillet if necessary and add a little extra virgin olive oil. Saute together:

2 medium green peppers cut as fine or chunky as you like

1 medium red, yellow or orange pepper same cut as above

1 yellow squash

2 zuchinni

(I cut the squashes into 2” sections, then once in half from the top and then in slices for long thin pieces (like sticks). You can also coin them, it’s just whatever you like)

Salt to taste

When tender add to stock pot and simmer on low at least 30 minutes. Serve over spaghetti noodles, angel hair, linguini, or even ziti. If you like your sauce really thick you can add a 12 oz. can of tomato paste, to thin it down and stretch it a little add a small can of v-8 juice. 

This recipe serves 10-12 really hungry people. It would serve 15-18 normal appetites. Who knows how many it would serve if everyone were on a diet!

(is easily multiplied for large groups since you would times the ingredients by however many Prego jars you are using.)

Coconut Pecan Frosting

For all of us who love “the frosting with germans in it”. It's the recipe that holds the record so far for number of calls to get it. I can’t count the number of times I called Nana for this recipe. It is Papa's favorite frosting. We always say “with germans in it” because when the kids were little and found out we were having cake they would ask, “the kind with germans in it?”. Then they knew it wasn't the kind we put in a glass and serve with milk over it. We actually serve this kind of chocolate cake on a plate with a glass of milk. Like normal.

• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 beaten egg yolks
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 1/3 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Optional: 1 T. cornstarch (to thicken a little faster)

In a heavy saucepan combine first five ingredients. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture bubbles and is thickened. Add coconut and pecans and remove from heat. Allow to cool a little before frosting cake.





Variation (I found on the internet): substitute 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (eagle brand) for the evaporated milk and the sugar.

I usually double this recipe when I do a cake. This insures I have way enough for my 2 cake mix cakes and there always has to be a little left for licking the pan.

OOoooppps!

I forgot to tell you if you want a copy of the green chile recipe, just click on it and it will take you a pdf file. You can print it, download it or whatever. I tried it and it actually works. Yayyyy for me. I figured it out. 

This Green Chile is the best!

Chickie’s Mexican Cafe is one of the things I remember most about the family farming out in Queen Creek. She was a little mexican woman that really had great food in her small restaurant. Nana loved talking to her about her recipes and they had a nice friendship. Eventually Chickie gave Nana this wonderful recipe for green chile. We put it in tortillas, combine it with other stuff, and sometimes just eat it like a stew. I can’t even think about dishes like this and not remember eating at Chickies with Aunts, Uncles, cousins and friends - and of course grading potatoes every summer on the graders in the sheds. I’m glad I got to experience that and am thankful for the memories I have because of those years.

Sherry Kanaga Harmon

If you are just making this for your family, the half recipe quantities below should be plenty. I use the whole recipe for larger groups and for canning. Our family loves this recipe and its a crowd pleaser for sure. It's good in a tortilla, or in a bowl garnished the way you like.

Half Recipe:
2 1/2# lean beef/and or pork, cubed
1 lg onion, diced (Sherry’s variation)
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 to 8 green New Mexico chiles, roasted, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 to 3 Yellow hot chiles roasted, peeled and diced
1-28 oz. Can Whole Tomatoes (drained) Cut into chunks
1 1/2 T. flour
1/2 C. water* (or) stock (pork or beef)
1 1/2 t. pepper (Sherry omits this)
1/2 t. salt

(if you are in a hurry substitute the following for green chiles):
1-16oz. can whole green chiles sliced into thin strips

Whole Recipe:**
5# lean beef/and or pork, cubed
2 lg onion, diced (Sherry’s variation)
4 garlic cloves, minced
12 to 14 green New Mexico chiles, roasted, peeled and cut into thin strips
5 to 7 Yellow hot chiles roasted, peeled and diced
1 #10 Can Whole Tomatoes (drained) Cut into chunks
1/4 C. flour
1 C. water* (or) stock (pork or beef)
3 t. pepper (Sherry omits this)
1 T. salt

(if you are in a hurry substitute the following for green chiles):
1-28 oz. can whole green chiles sliced into thin strips

In a large skillet brown meat. When well browned, transfer to a large stockpot. In the same skillet brown the onions and garlic - add a little vegetable oil if needed. When the onions are golden brown add to the meat in the stockpot.
Add the broth or water to the skillet, raise the heat and deglaze the skillet being sure to scrape all the bits and pieces from the sides and bottom. Pour this into the stockpot.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the stockpot and raise to just below boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 1 -1/2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and starts to fall apart.

* More stock or water can be added depending on how thick you want your green chile.
** The whole recipe is ideal for large gatherings as well canning into jars for enjoying at a later time. Just follow the guideline for canning ground beef and put some on your pantry shelf.

The Home Canning Bug Has Bitten!

We have gone canning crazy and actually having fun doing it. Below is the tomato recipe Tracy got from Leslie with our own little spin on it. It is an amazing mix and can be used in a variety of ways. Spaghetti, rocket soup (see Sydney's post) chili, lasagne and many more. It smells so good when you are preparing it I can't wait to get some out and use it. Enjoy.

Tomato Base Mix

I will do a nicer recipe later, but here are pics and the how to if you are wanting to do the tomato mix. 

For about 24 lbs. of tomatoes:

6 onions

4-5 cloves fresh garlic

2 bunches fresh Italian parsley

4-5 green peppers

2-3 C. sliced celery

1/4 C. (4 T.) salt

1. Take out stems, I like a strawberry stemmer. Cut in half down through the stem hole and cut off any bad imperfections.
   
2. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for about 30 seconds, remove and immerse immediately in cold water. The skins will be loose and will come off easily. Put tomatoes in a container and cover. (I had some help from Papa on this part)
   
3. Chop the rest of the vegetables the way you prefer. I leave them chunky, but you may prefer a finer chop. I also chose not to do the celery and green peppers in my mix because I don't like them in my soups/chili, etc. I can always add green peppers later if I need them. Just do what works for your end use.
   
4. Cut the tomatoes into chunks - leave them a little on the big side as they cook down some. I used a bussing tub to mix everything and it works great. Combine all the stuff in the tub and add the salt. If you don't have a tub, clean out your kitchen sink, plug it up and use it like a tub. It works well too. Toss well. (I use my hands)
   
5. Fill the prepared jars (dishwashers are great to wash and keep them warm for you) with the mix trying to keep the liquid to a minimum. Once the jar is full and packed just a tad, add enough liquid from the mix in the tub so it is just below the lid screws. Leave about 1/2 to 3/4 inch head space.
   
6. Using a chopstick, or something like it, release any trapped air in jars by running the chopstick down the sides of the jar and the air pockets will bubble to the top.
   
7. Wipe the rims of jars with a clean cloth or paper towel to make sure the rim is clean and ready for lids. Prepare lids by putting them in a pan with water and bring just to a boil. Using a lid lifter (handy little tool with a magnet on one end) grab a lid and ring and screw finger tight on each jar.
   
8. Place the jars in your canner not touching each other and not touching the canner sides. Following the manufacturer's directions secure the lid and bring up to 11 pounds of pressure. Once there, start timing for 25 minutes and maintain the 11 pounds of pressure. You may have to adjust your burner heat and let out a little pressure from the weight now and then to maintain the proper pressure. Just tilt the weight to the side to release some pressure if you need to. DO NOT Remove the weight to do this.
   
9. When the time is up, remove from heat and let the pressure drop on its own. When it does, remove the weight, remove the lid (careful, or you will get steam burned) and using a jar lifter bring jars straight up and out of the canner and onto a towel on the counter. Do not tilt jars. Straight up and straight down. 
   

As the jars cool, if all goes well you will hear the lids “ping” (a metallic pop) as they seal in your hard work. If you have a jar that doesn't ping you can reprocess it with a new lid, or just put it in the fridge and use it up right away. (I cuss them out now and then but it doesn't help). They should sit undisturbed until the next day. You can then carefully remove the bands only. Rinse the jars carefully in cool water to clean off any boil over. Same with the bands. I pile them all in a bowl and soak them in suds. After a while I rinse them, make sure they soaked clean and lay them out to dry. If you want to put them back on your jars you can, but you don't have to. If you have curious kids, it is sometimes a good idea to store the jars with the bands back on them.

I like the Presto brand 23 quart pressure canner. It is large enough to do four 1/2 gallon jars at a time and has been a good investment for me. I found them online for around $88.00. 

If you just want to do plain tomatoes, you can leave them whole in your jars, make sure as you pack them you push on them a little so some juice squishes out. There should be enough liquid in your jars but you can add a little water if you need to. Add a teaspoon of salt to the top of each jar. You only have to bring them up to 10-12 pounds of pressure and then remove from heat. They don't have to pressure for any sustained length of time. Allow pressure to drop on its own as before. You can also use a steam canner or the water bath method for just plain tomatoes. They are excellent all by themselves as well. 

Don't be afraid to try this. It is fun and you will get a sense of accomplishment just to see all the jars ready for your family to eat.

Nana's Rocket Soup

Click on the recipe below to access a readable pdf version.

Cooler weather is coming! In our family that means "Soup on Sunday's". Nana's Rocket Soup has always been one of our favorites. There is nothing like it to warm you on a cold day or kick that sinus headache in the behind.