Avocados - Green is Good!

Nana always said that Avocados were one of the few foods that is high in Vitamin B. They are also high in fiber.

I can still remember Gramma Kanaga walking Tracy and me to the old Wingfoot Market in Chandler to buy us an avocado. She would slice it up, salt and pepper the slices and we would eat them like it was candy. Nana made avocado sandwiches for us whenever she found good avocados at the markets. She would often toast the bread for Papa as he liked his sandwiches toasty. When I was about nine years old our family went to Germany to live. Papa was called up in what was termed “the Berlin Crisis”. He flew the Berlin corridor to protect aircraft going to and from “free” Berlin. While we were there, Nana would buy the most amazing avocados at the commissary. Once, when traveling in Italy she and papa found huge avocados. They couldn’t believe how big they were. They bought a few to try thinking they would be pithy, but they were wonderful. The love of Avocados has stayed with us through the years. Not that we need a recipe to make these sandwiches, but there are a variety of things we have learned to love on them.

The Basic Avocado Sandwich, Nana Style…
Wheat Bread spread with a little mayonaise. Fresh slices of avocado placed on the mayo and salt and peppered. As mentioned above, toasting the bread is good, or not as you wish. Mostly served on a paper towel with the option to eat the rest of the avocado slices depending on how many sandwiches had to be made. Lots of happy moments enjoying this simple sandwich.

Here are some of the things we have tried…
Croissants, Sourdough orWhole Wheat bread spread with a little mayo. Layer cheese of your choice, some we like are provolone, swiss or monterey jack. Layer sliced avocado. Add a few tomato slices and maybe some alfalfa sprouts. Obviously there are meat choices that are good such as turkey, chicken or even bacon or thin sliced ham. I like them meatless, but they are great on a club sandwich too.

Now the Mexican version - Avocado Torta. Mexican Bollios or Telera Rolls are awesome with avocados. Slice in half lengthwise, butter and turn onto a griddle to lightly toast. Spread with a little mayo and just a touch of mustard. (Yes, mustard, but not too much.) If you can find some Queso Fresco (a variety of Mexican cheese), slice it on the thick side and place on toasted roll. If you like just a little heat, put a few jalpeno slices on and layer some thick sliced avocado. Now some tomato slices and close it up. Sooooo gooood! Got this from the restaurant in downtown Mesa named “Mangos”. Love their food.

Avocado Spreads…
Basically: 1 California Avocado, seeded and peeled, 2 tsp lemon (or lime) juice
In a medium bowl, with a fork mash avocado with lemon juice.

For fun add your choice of the following:

• 1 Green onion, finely chopped 
  
• 1/2 Clove minced garlic 
  
• 1 T. Chopped Cilantro
  
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill 
  
• 2 T. Honey Mustard 
  
• Dash of Cayenne Pepper
• 1 - 2 T. Mayonaise
• 1 oz. Cream Cheese
• 1-2 T. Jalapeno Relish 
  

There are many flavor variations; substitute other fresh herbs, and seasonings that you like.
Use in place of, or in addition to mayo on many sandwiches.

Nana's Fudge

Lacy is our resident fudge maker as far as I know. She spent some time with Nana learning her technique and getting pans of fudge made for her gift list. I wish I had pictures, but alas, I do not. I have had so many neighbors come up to me and say how much they miss this sweet treat Nana would make for them at Christmas. She and Papa would make a list of who needed fudge in the neighborhood and then she would set about cooking the batches. They would always do a chocolate batch and a blond batch for all of us in addition to their neighbors. Then a bow on the top and a maybe a tag and they would deliver their decadent dishes. This made memories for lots of people.

4 1/2 C. Sugar
1 15 oz. can Evaporated Milk
2 T. light cornsyrup (Karo)
2 sticks butter or margarine
1 pint jar Marshmallow Creme
2 t. vanilla
1 12oz pkg. chocolate chips
2 C. chopped nuts
walnuts, pecans, almonds, you decide.
Combine first three ingredients in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil while washing inside of sauce pan down with pastry brush and water. Boil over medium heat to a soft ball - 238º-240º on candy thermometer. Remove from heat. In a mixing bowl combine the rest of the ingredients except the nuts. Pour hot sugar mixture in mixing bowl and beat until smooth and cooled. Add nuts and pour into buttered pan. Cut when completely cooled and set.

Toffee

I made this recipe over and over last year to pack in Christmas tins for my kids and others. Nana used to make this toffee recipe every Christmas, and I so love toffee. I have Nana's recipe here. I remember long ago when we still lived in the house on Allen Circle her getting out her toffee making pan (the one with teflon coating) and stirring up a batch of toffee at Christmas. Now we have scilipats to make our lives easier. I've never had a hard time getting the toffee out of the pan when I use one. Nana gave me my first scilipat and she loved how easy they made candy and baking. After many years, she went to her famous fudge recipes. For my fellow toffee addict Taylor, and all of you, here is the recipe for Nana's wonderful toffee…

Butter a 12 x 18 (half sheet cake) baking sheet, cover with chopped pecans (or walnuts)
and set aside. You can also use a scilipat baking sheet (minus the butter) in your baking sheet for great results. They are the perfect size to fit a half sheet cake pan. (pictured above with the ingredients).

In a heavy bottomed 3 qt. saucepan…
2 C. Butter (1#) not margarine
1/2 C. Water
1/4 C. Light corn syrup (Karo)
2-1/2 C. Sugar
Combine above ingredients over medium high heat and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture comes to a boil. Continue stirring until mixture begins to thicken. Reduce heat to low, remove wooden spoon and do not continue to stir.
Clip on candy thermometer and cook syrup to 290ºF (or 145ºC), a soft crack stage.



Remove from heat and pour over pecans in prepared baking sheet.



When just hardened, but still hot:
Sprinkle 1 pound (or so) chocolate chips on candy. Sprinkle densely. After just a few moments chips are soft so you can spread evenly to coat candy.



While chocolate is still warm, sprinkle finely chopped walnuts (2-4 cups) over top and gently press to set nuts into chocolate. After cooled completely you can turn entire block over, melt some more chocolate chips to spread over the back side and coat with nuts. Double coated is good, but a lot more work. I usually just do the one layer chocolate.
Any kind of nuts you like will work, and milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips - whatever your tastes are.

When completely cooled:
I use a clean white dishtowel to turn the toffee out on. I loosen the edges with a sharp knife and then lay the baking sheet upside down over the dishtowel. After the toffee is out of the sheet, peel off the scilipat and turn the whole block over so the chocolate and nuts are once again on top. Break into irregular pieces and store in an airtight container.
Makes 4-5 pounds (about 150 pieces).



Sometimes syrup mixture separates during cooking leaving a buttery looking layer on the surface and a thicker mixture underneath. To save the batch try and correct, add about 1/2 C. hot water and stir well. You may need to add additional hot water, but this should correct and save your batch. I've never had to do this, but got this tip from a candy book.

Taya sent me a pic of the toffee tin they got at Christmas. Thanks Taya.

Apricot Jam

This recipe is a combination of the recipes included in the pectin boxes and a recipe from Jade’s friend in Pima. Jade loved her apricot jam, but she didn’t use pectin and we like the way it thickens, so we combined the two for a jam we really like.

Preparing Jars and Lids
We use pint jars for jam. Wash the jars in hot soapy water (or in the dishwasher) as set aside.
As you are cooking your jam, put the lids into a pan of water and place over medium/low heat until about to simmer. This should take about 10 minutes. Keep hot until needed. Use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" to pull them out when you are ready to close your jars.



Preparing Apricots
Wash the fruit. Do not remove skins. Cut in half and twist apart. This leaves the pit on one half of the apricot. Remove pit and put the fruit into a food processor. Process until fruit is slightly chunky, not pureed. A hand chopper, or a potato masher can also be used to mash up fruit.

Cooking Jam
9 Cups of chopped apricots
1 Cup crushed pineapple
1/2 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Bottled or frozen may be substituted.
1 t. butter (Optional, but does reduce foaming as jam cooks.)
3 Boxes Sure-Jell Premium Fruit Pectin. I use the yellow label, not the reduced sugar or liquid varieties.
Measure out 12 Cups of sugar in a bowl and set aside.
Combine above (except the sugar) ingredients into 10-12 quart stock pot. Place over high heat and stir constantly until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. This means it boils even when you are stirring it. Stir in the sugar. I pour it in all at once and stir it while it is assimilated into mixture. Return to full rolling boil. When it has achieved a full rolling boil, time for one minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and skim off foam using a large spoon. Some like a slotted spoon.

Processing Jars



Ladle into pints allowing at least a 1/4” headspace. I Ladle from the bottom up so the mixture is consistent for all the jars. Taya is filling her jars in the photo above. She did a great job on her first experience with jam. Wipe rims and threads clean and place prepared lids on top. Fasten bands and place into steam canner. (Prepare steam canner according to manufacturer’s directions.) Most steam canners will take 8 pints at a time.

Steam Canner Method 

(May also use a Water Bath Method to process)
Turn steam canner to Hi if using an electric stove. Gas burners may not need to be all the way up to high. Wait for steam to stream from side holes in a steady plume. This plume is usually about 8” out from the side and is sort of a soft plume. Time for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Remove lid taking care to open away from you as the steam can burn you. Using a jar lifter, remove jars onto a kitchen towel a few inches apart and allow to cool. Jars will probably “ping” as you are removing them from the canner. In the event you have one that doesn’t ping, refrigerate and use, or reprocess the jar using a new lid.
Label and date lids on jars and store in a cool, dry place. Once opened, jam should be used in about a month or so.

Swiss Steak

Tracy called me for this recipe yesterday, and I realized I hadn't posted it. I took the photos a while back, but never got around to the post. Sorry Tracy, here it is now…



An all time favorite for the clan. This recipe came to us from my in-laws long ago and far away. Through the years we have come to love it, especially for the “special” dinners. Nana always liked to be our guest when I made this. I don't have the exact quantities down, but I will approximate. Things can always be adjusted to the way you like your food. I generally buy top round for the meat, but london broil works as well as many other cuts. In the original recipe the meat was cut into large pieces, like a serving of steak. I always ended up cutting it into small pieces for the kids, so I just started cutting it in small bite size pieces to begin with. We decided we liked it that way, so I still do that. I usually make this in a small electric roaster, but a crock-pot would work just fine. Grumpy was nice and did all the cutting for the photos here.




The onions should be cut into 1/2" rings. I have cut them thinner, and cut the rings in half but it is just your preference. If you have about 5 lbs. of steak, cut at least 3 good sized onions. I use regular yellow/brown onions, but mayan sweets are good also. Again, personal taste.



In a large skillet, drizzle some canola or light olive oil and bring up to medium heat. Dredge steak in flour and brown in skillet. The meat doesn't have to be done inside, just browned on both sides. When browned transfer to roaster or crock-pot. When all the meat is browned, place the onions in the skillet and saute until nice and brown. They should be tender but not overdone. Add onions to roaster or crock-pot. I have been known to add a little fresh minced garlic to the onions. Our family loves garlic and so I put about 3 cloves (chopped fine) in.

For the 5 lbs. of steak, you will need about 2 quarts of canned whole tomatoes, cut up. I have also used some the tomato mix Tracy and I canned and it is good in Swiss Steak. Pour off the water in the jar or can of tomatoes, but save in case you need the liquid. Cut the tomatoes up to the size you like and add to the roaster. Check to see how much liquid you have. If it seems a little dry for simmering for a couple hours, add some of the tomato juice back in. Consistency should be like a thick stew. Salt and Pepper to taste. I like a good amount of tomatoes, so if you think it needs a few more add until you like the ratio and consistency of your mixture.



Simmer for about 2 hours on medium to low setting. We like our Swiss Steak over rice, so I make a batch of rice in the rice cooker. I got used to the rice in Okinawa when we lived there and the closest thing I can find to that here is the Calrose or SunWest (fancy) brands that I can get at Costco, or even Smart and Final. It is a short grain variety and we like the flavor. I'm sure any rice would be fine - whatever you like. Grandma Dorothy serves her steak in larger pieces so it's like a piece of steak with a thick sauce on it. They have baked potatoes as their side. It's all good.

If you think it needs thickening toward the end of cooking time, just add a little Ultra Gel. It is the easiest to work with. Another way is to make a flour and water (or beef stock) mixture like you would for gravy and add that. It would need to simmer for a while to thicken with that mixture.

I hope you enjoy this dish, it is great for winter nights and to take in to people. It is also something you could make from your bottled/canned food in your pantry.

Tasty, Flaky Pie Crust

Nana was famous for her wonderful pie crust. Always wanting to improve, she was always trying new recipes. This pie crust recipe is the closest one I could find for the original, perfect crust she had perfected.

For a 2 crust pie.

• 2 1/2 C. Flour
  
• 1 t. Salt
  
• 1 Stick of Butter (cold)
  
• 1/2 C. Shortening (cold)
  
• 1/3 C. Water (more or less)
  

For a two crust pie (fruit pie, etc.)
Cream to paint on top of crust
Sugar to sprinkle on top of crust

Combine dry ingredients in bowl and cut in shortening. Cut in butter and start adding in water. When dough just leaves the sides of the bowl, make a ball and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. Divide in half for 2 crusts. On a floured surface roll out dough to desired thickness. Roll up on rolling pin, or fold in half to transfer to pie dish. Cut dough to 1/2" below dish edge. Fill with pie filling and roll out top crust. Cut dough 1/2" below dish edge and tuck under both crust edges to edge of dish. This seals the edges. With thumb and fingers crimp the edges to make them pretty. Cut vent holes in top crust and brush with cream and sprinkle sugar. Bake according to pie recipe.

To make pie blinds (pre-baked crust for cream pies etc.) there will of course be no top crusts. After crust is in pie plate, trim and crimp edges. Using a fork, pierce dough several times in the bottom and on the sides. If you have pie wieghts, follow the directions before baking. Bake at 350º until lightly browned. Remove and cool.




Some fun options for pie blinds:
Painted Chocolate Crust
Melt 3-4 ozs. chocolate chips and 1 T. shortening in a double boiler. When smooth, paint onto baked crust with a pastry brush. Chill and fill with filling of choice.

Cream Cheese over Crust
3-4 ozs. Cream Cheese
1/2 C. Powdered Sugar
Whip soft cream cheese and sugar together. Spread over bottom of baked crust. Pour filling into pie.

Coconut Cream Pie

Another of Nana's famous pies. Loved by all, and certainly was expected at more than one holiday gathering. Our ward has the ladies bring pie to the kitchen on Father's Day. They cut and plate all the different pies and serve the men in Priesthood opening exercises. It is the best attended Priesthood meeting all year. Our guys knew this Coconut Cream was in there this year and made sure they snagged a piece. Love it!



More than enough for a 10" deep dish pre-baked crust.

• 1 1/2 C. Sugar
  
• 1/4 C. Cornstarch (or Ultra Gel)
  
• 3 T. Flour
  
• 1/2 C. Evaporated milk
  
• 4 C. Milk
  
• 6-8 Egg yolks (slightly beaten)
  
• 2 T. Butter
  
• 1 t. Vanilla
  
• 1 1/2 - 2 C. Coconut
  

Combine first six ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Stirring constantly over medium heat, bring to a boil. Mixture should be thickened. Add butter, vanilla and coconut and allow to cool a while, maybe 10 minutes or so. Do not stir filling, pour into pre-baked pie crust and cover with wax paper or plastic and allow to completely cool. Top with stabilized whipped cream and refrigerate before serving.




Nana's pies were a work of art. I wish I had taken pictures of them. She was a pie master for sure.

Lemon Pie

My Favorite Pie! Nana was always good about making me a lemon pie for my birthday most years. Since my birthday sometimes falls on Thanksgiving, I could count on one for sure on those years. She has tried many recipes and been frustrated with meringue on the top, so went to cream on the top instead. What ever is on the top, the lemon pie filling is the best.

• 1 C. Sugar
  
• 2/3 C. Cornstarch or Ultra Gel
  
• 3 C. Water
  
• 7-8 Egg yolks (slightly beaten)
  
• 1 T. Light Karo Syrup
  
• 2/3 - 1 C. fresh lemon juice
  
• 2 T. Butter
  
• 1/2 C. Sour Cream (optional)
  

In a heavy bottom saucepan combine first five ingredients. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until mixture is thickened. Add in the lemon juice and butter and cook about another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool a bit. Add the sour cream and pour into baked crust.




Cut a round out of wax paper and place on top of filling to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to completely cool.
Top with meringue if you wish following a recipe for whipping, baking and browning in the oven, or prepare stabilized whipped cream (much easier) before serving.



Nana liked a tart lemon pie, so adjust the amount of lemon juice and sugar to your liking. I think the amounts here are perfect because I like a tart lemon pie too. Enjoy.

Food for the 4th

As the holidays roll around, the traditional food that accompanies them are part of the memories. I don't have any real recipes for some of these dishes, but thought I would list ingredients. Everyone has their own spin on the salads and dishes, so to each their own.

For our 4th, we enjoy coleslaw, potato salad, pasta salad, baked beans, hamburgers, steaks, chicken, hotdogs, corn on the cob, watermelon, homemade ice cream and chocolate cake. We didn't have all those things this year, but we have been known to. I fell in love with Grandma Dorothy's coleslaw long ago. I have been making it for years, so this is how it goes…

The Coleslaw

Nana's Way (sweet, almost a little Hawaiian)1 med/lg. Head Cabbage (sliced thin and then sort of diced)
1 16 oz. Can Crushed Pineapple (drained well)
1 med. Carrot (peeled and shredded)
1 C. Mayo
1/4 C. Cream
Salt & Pepper to taste
Dash of Sugar
In a large bowl combine the cabbage, pineapple and apple. Mix well. In another smaller bowl mix the mayo, cream, sugar and salt & pepper. Pour over salad mixture and mix well.

Dorothy's Way (adapted, more like a Texas Coleslaw)
1 med/lg. Head Cabbage (sliced thin and then cut across a few times so it's not too long. More like a fine shred)
1 Bunch Green Onions (slice the green part only)
1-2 Tomatoes (diced. I like Romas, but any kind will work)
1 C. Mayo
1/4 C. Rice Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
In a large bowl combine the cabbage, green onions and tomatoes. In a smaller bowl whisk the mayo, Vinegar, Salt & Pepper. Pour over cabbage mixture and mix well.

For either salad adjust mayo mixture so the consistency is what you like. Cabbage will sort of shrink down once the mayo goes on. It will shrink a little more as it chills. Best if made ahead of time so flavors can blend. Nan liked them both.

I also grew up with Nana's Potato Salad and love it. She just kept it really simple, so I have too. I sometimes leave out the boiled eggs and the celery because I have a few egg and celery haters in the family. Sometimes I don't and they just have to deal with it. Sometimes they add chopped onions (which I don't like) and I have to deal with it. Family give and take, right?

Nana's Potato Salad
(The way I remember it as a kid growing up)

For about 5 pounds of potatoes:
8 lg. Eggs
Mayo
Mustard
Sm. Can Black Olives
3-4 med. Stalks Celery (optional, diced fine)
Dill Weed
Granulated Garlic
Green Onions
3 med/lg. Dill Pickles (diced fine)

Boil the potatoes until they are just tender when a fork is inserted. I use a large stock pot and about 3 inches of water in the bottom. Drain off the water and put the lid back on slightly askew so the potatoes can cool without drying out. Once cool enough to handle strip off the skins and discard. Dice the potatoes. If you like boiled eggs, hard boil about 8 eggs and set aside to cool. Remove shells when cool and reserve 2-3 eggs for garnish. Dice the rest with an egg slicer first one way, then the other for a fine dice (almost julienne) cut. Drain a small can of sliced black olives. Slice thinly a bunch of green onions (just the green part unless you like a more oniony taste). In a large bowl combine the diced potatoes, pickles, green onions, eggs, celery and olives. Mix well. In a smaller bowl combine the following:

Quantities are estimated depending on personal taste:
2 C. Mayo
1/2 C. Mustard (just the regular yellow kind)
1 T. Dried Dill Weed
1/2 t. Granulated Garlic
1/4-1/2 C. Dill Pickle Juice (to taste and for consistency)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Pour over potatoes and mix in well. When the consistency is the way you like it transfer to a serving bowl and smooth the top. Take the remaining eggs and slice with the egg slicer (just one way). Arrange sliced eggs on the top and maybe a few olives if you like. Sprinkle a little paprika over the top and chill. Good if you think to do it the day before as the flavors develop in the fridge. If you like other ingredients, throw them in. Nana always liked to try new things. This is a staple for summer holiday dinners. Love it.

Of course my little bowl of sample is a must. You gotta sample it, right?

Now for the Baked Beans.
Nana pretty much used canned pork and beans as a base. She would drain off the juice, discard the token piece of pork and add her own mixture of things. She added a splash of liquid smoke, a bit of her BBQ sauce, maybe some diced green chiles (or not, depending on the majorities' ability to handle the heat), salt and pepper. She would bake them uncovered for at least 45 mintues in a 350º oven.

Again, there are many versions of baked beans. It's always fun to try a new one, but I keep coming back to the tried and true beans that were such a part of our family BBQs. She always had a can of beans on hand.



I remember the many times we would go out on the sundeck to watch the fireworks. Not a fan of crowds, we didn't often go to the city stadiums for the show, like maybe once in Chandler. I do have many fond memories of the 4th of July celebrations in Queen Creek. We would go out with our ice cream packed in ice and wrapped in a quilt, chocolate cake, fried chicken, salads, etc. and enjoy free corn on the cob and watermelon courtesy of the Barney's and the Schnepf's. Our Schnepf cousins were there as well as friends. There were always great fireworks and it wasn't like a crowded city stadium. It was in the ball field in back of the old Queen Creek Mormon Church and I loved it.

The Actual File…

I thought I would post a picture of Nana's file that she worked on for so long. I know we all have the mental picture of her sitting at her round table, on one of her green chairs in her corner of the living room going over her recipes. It just amazes me every time I look at it. She has so many recipes in it. So much information. I will try and be better about going through it for the tried and true favorites that were uniquely hers, but if you think of things you specifically want please contact me. It is available for all of us and is crazy fun to go through.


Then of course are the recipes she wrote out herself. I love her scrawl as she was thinking them through and jotting down the jist of it all. I still find little notes and lists here and there in the house. Gets me every time. I still miss you Nana.

Crazy Aunt Charleen

We called her that because she was. It is a term of endearment for us as she has a special place in our hearts. Talented, sweet, musical, and very much like her mother, Opal. It was always an adventure to visit her in Colorado. After college graduation Grumpy and I were stationed at Lowry AFB in Denver,Colorado for 6 months. We had quite the trip getting there with 3 small children in the car for 2 days. Not the most fun I ever had. Upon our arrival there Papa’s sister Charleen had dinner waiting for us. It was so very nice, and oh so appreciated. The casserole has come through the years with us and is now a favorite of our children and grandchildren. She also had fresh strawberries for us that night. We dipped them in sour cream and then into brown sugar. Also a family favorite. Thanks to Aunt Charleen, we have these good things on our tables still.


The Noodles…
Charleen’s Casserole
I especially like that it is meatless for lighter summer meals. Ingredients can be varied and encompass many left-overs for a new dish. Great for a side, or for the main course.

Extra wide egg noodles, or noodles of your choice. Quantities are for 9x13 pan. Cook noodles until tender and rinse. Set aside.


The Vegetables…
In a pan, sauté:

• 1 ea. Green, Red, Yellow Pepper (chopped)
  
• 1 Onion (chopped)
  
• 2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
  
• 3 Carrots (sliced about 1/8”)
  

Optional Vegetables to add or substitute: Corn, Green Beans, Broccoli, Zucchini, Fresh Spinach, mushrooms, it’s all good.

The Sauce…
In a large mixing bowl combine:

• 2 Regular Cans Cream of Chicken Soup (1 can if you like your sauce thicker, or if you want to thin with milk.)
  
• 1 Regular Can Cream of Celery Soup
  
• 1 8 oz. Can Tomato Sauce (or El Pato Sauce for a spicier taste).

Optional Cream Soups are Mushroom, Cheese, and any others your family likes.

Finishing…
When vegetables are tender, add to sauce and mix well. Fold in noodles and at least 8 ozs. of grated mild cheddar and 8 ozs. of another kind of cheese (sliced thin or grated). Pepper Jack, Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, whatever you like or have on hand. Toss in 1 1/2 C. Frozen Peas and mix well.


Spray casserole dish with PAM and pour mixture into it. Top with more cheese if desired, or even bread crumbs work fine. Bake uncovered at 350º for 30 - 45 minutes depending on how brown you like the top. Serve with Garlic Toast or any number of things.


This casserole has feed many a family that needed dinner brought in and I love for the summer. It is easy and fast and kids generally like it. There are lots of possibilities with it, so use your imagination and make your favorite things in it.

I have a PDF version of this if anyone is interested. Just leave a comment with your email address.

My Favorite Lasagna

This lasagna recipe has been with us since 1978.
As the story goes…
Grumpy and I were stationed in Okinawa, Japan and I had gone back to Arizona to have R.B. When it was time to return to Okinawa, R.B. was about 6 weeks old. It was the trip from hell. I had three little girls and a newborn to wrestle, the Air Force dependent travel policies to contend with and some major budget concerns. I won't go into the details, but by the time I got back to Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa I had been traveling (or trying to) for 2 weeks. I was frustrated, tired, and “on the edge”. Grumpy had moved our things into a nice house in Awase and it was good to finally be somewhere. As we straggled in the door it was nearly dinner time and I wasn't sure what was in the house. Grumpy went in the kitchen and pulled this wonderful lasagna from the oven complete with garlic bread and a salad from the fridge. I was amazed. He said his new commanding officer's wife, Ellen Stellmar had provided the dinner for us. I started crying and I don't think she ever knew how deeply I appreciated her dinner. “Thank you” just didn't cover how nice it was. She was a wonderful woman. I am grateful for all the really great people we rubbed shoulders with in our Air Force experience. Very tender memories of them all. I've used this recipe all these years and it is a family favorite.

The Meat Sauce…
1# Italian Sausage or lean ground beef
1 clv Garlic (minced)
1 lg Onion (diced) (optional)
1 Tb. Basil
1 Tb. Parsley Flakes
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1-1# Can whole tomatoes (cut up)
2-6oz Cans (1 1/3 C.) tomato paste

The Cheese Mixture…

3 Cups Cream Style Cottage Cheese (or Ricotta, or a mix of the two)
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
2 Tb. Parsley Flakes
1/2 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cooked Noodles…
10 oz. Lasagna noodles cooked al dente. Rinse in cold water and allow to drain. I always lay the uncooked noodles in the pan I'm using (x2 for 2 layers) to make sure I have enough noodles. I throw in a couple of extra just for fun.

Mozzarella…

1# Mozzarella cheese (grated). Of course more cheese is never bad. I have used the fresh mozzarella sliced on one of the layers and it turned out really well.

Preparing the layers…

Brown meat with minced garlic and (optional) diced onion . Drain off excess fat. Add next five ingredients for the meat sauce and simmer uncovered until sauce is thick stirring occasionally (about 30 minutes). 

Combine the cheese mixture ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir well.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and layer:
half the cooked noodles
half the cottage cheese mixture
half the mozzarella cheese
half the meat sauce

Half the noodles, half the cheese mixture:


I used fresh mozzarella in the first cheese layer and it was good. I used regular grated mozzarella on the next cheese layer and it was a good combo. Just ignore the spots of meat sauce. I goofed and got a little meat sauce in before I realized it was the cheese layer. Oooops.


The last layer of meat sauce (good thing, cuz the dish was full)


As an option you can layer some fresh spinach leaves on top of the mozzarella and under the meat sauce. It is really good if you like a little spinach. 

Repeat layers and top with a layer of grated parmesan if desired.



Bake in moderate oven (350º) uncovered for 30-45 minutes.
Let stand 15 minutes to set before serving.

Serves 12

Picture is from our Mama's and Papa's dinner on my blog. I added a spinach layer to it this time and it was really good. A little more watery than usual, don't know if it was from the fresh mozzarella, or the spinach, or both. I didn't mind though as a little juicier is okay with me. (I'm a saucy gal)
Lots of fond memories with this Lasagna recipe. Thanks to a sweet woman who went out of her way to make life a little easier. She left quite an impact on our lives with her lasagna. You just never know…

Nana's Yummy Ice Creams

Nana was always happy to make a freezer of ice cream for us to share. She made plain vanilla for many years because it went so well with chocolate cake. Then she tried the heath bar kind and it became the new family favorite. I tried a batch of Rocky Road and loved it so I have included those recipes here as well as some options for fruit flavors that she had in her file. Enjoy and remember the many bowls of delicious ice cream at Nana’s.

–Sherry Kanaga Harmon

Basic Vanilla Ice Cream 
Quantities for a 6 Quart Freezer
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan combine:
6 Eggs
6 T. Flour
1 qt. Milk
1/2 C. Sugar
 
Directions
Stir above ingredients over medium heat until thickened. (about like a medium white sauce)
While mixture is still hot add:
2 C. Sugar
1 Can Eagle Brand Sweetened
Condensed Milk
2 T. Vanilla Flavoring
1 T. Lemon Flavoring (optional)
(You can substitute 3 more cups of sugar for the Eagle Brand if you don’t have any).
Allow to cool and even refrigerate overnight when possible.
 
Before freezing add:
2 Qts. Half and Half
(Or 1 qt. Cream and 1 qt. half and half).
Mixture should fill the canister to 3/4 full. If it doesn’t, add a little milk to bring it up to 3/4 full. Freeze, remove paddle and ripen in deep freezer.

Don't forget the chocolate cake to complete the experience.


Nana's Toffee Ice Cream
We've all enjoyed many a bowl of this wonderful stuff!



Make the Basic Vanilla Ice Cream recipe with these exceptions:
Use raw sugar in place of white sugar.
Use banana extract instead of Lemon.
Add 1 small box of French Vanilla instant pudding.
After freezing and paddle has been removed, add 8-10 crushed toffee bars and stir in well. Sometimes crushed toffee is available in bags like choc chips, in which case a 12 oz. bag would suffice. Of course if you’re like me, put in as much as you think you need to taste some in every bite. Ripen ice
cream in deep freezer.

Fresh Fruit Ice Creams
Puree or dice into small pieces the fruit of your choice. Let stand overnight in heavy syrup. Add the mixture of fruit and syrup to the freezer when ice cream is in a soft freeze state. Return to freezing until more hardened. Remove paddle and ripen ice cream in deep freezer.

Chocolate Ice Cream
Make the Basic Vanilla Ice Cream recipe with this addition to the cooked mixture:
1 C. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
3 C. Sugar


My new personal favorite (you can have more than one favorite you know…) Rocky Road. It doesn't get much better than this.
 Rocky Road Ice Cream
Make the Basic Vanilla Ice Cream recipe with this addition to the cooked mixture:
1 C. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
3 C. Sugar
3 1oz. squares of semi-sweet chocolate
1 Additional tablespoon of Vanilla flavoring
1/4 t. Salt
After freezing and paddle has been removed add:
3 C. Mini Marshmallows
1 1/2 C. Chopped almonds (or pecans)
Ripen ice cream in deep freezer.






There are Ice Cream Freezers at Sam's Club now for about $60.00 in the half gallon size with both an electric motor and an attachment to just hand crank it. Of course there are many kinds of freezers out there, they all work. I am wanting to try some of the strawberry jam with some fresh strawberries in a batch and maybe even some peach this year. I hope you will enjoy Nana's recipes and have as much fun with them as she did. She loved to make and freeze ice cream for all of us.

"Brown Grammies" (Frances Mower) Lake Arrowhead Cheese Dip...

Frances has made this every Christmas for as long as I have known her and it's soooo yummy! Everyone eats it up quick & there's usually fighting over who gets the bread bowl when the dips gone!!!

You will need:

2 bricks of cream cheese (8 oz each)
1 16oz tub sour cream
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
3-4 tsp. worchestershire sauce
6-8 chopped green onion
1 jar Armour dried beef, cut or torn into pieces

DIRECTIONS:

Melt all of the ingredients together in a large saucepan, slowly over low heat. Constantly stir to avoid burning.

Presentation:

Pour the dip into a hallowed out sheppards bread bowl with torn pieces of the bread all around for dipping. You can also cut up or tear pieces of french bread or sourdough for dipping.

Homemade Chex Mix...

This is a great treat for the summer! This is also a recipe from Christy, but Kaitlin and I customized it, so I'll put what we did and you can make it your own too...

You will need:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups corn syrup or honey ( I used half of each)
2 tablespoons coconut flavoring
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
1 box of rice chex
1 small bag of coconut
1 small bag of chopped pecans
1 cup of powdered sugar
2 cups shaved chocolate (or choc chips)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix chex mix, coconut, nuts, and chocolate in a bowl. Boil sugar, corn syrup/honey, coconut flavoring and butter for 5 minutes. Pour over chex mix. Put wax paper oover a cookie sheet and then spread the chex mixture on top of wax paper. Sprinkle with the powdered sugar and let cool. YUMMMMM!

Christy's Chicken & Spinach w/ Cheese...

You will need:
1 piece of chicken per person
1 bag of stick pretzels (for crushing)
2 eggs
2 cups mozzarella cheese with sun dried tomotoes & basil
2 big bunches of spinach
2 Tablespoons Flour
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cups milk

DIRECTIONS:

Put the pretzels into a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin. Put the pretzels into a shallow bowl. Crack the eggs into a bowl; dip the chicken into the eggs and then into the pretzel mixture, covering completely. Put onto a greased baking sheet/pan. Cook at 350 degrees for about 35-45 minutes.

Sauce: Melt butter in medium saucepan, add flour and stir. Slowly add in milk while always stirring, so no lumps. Add cheese and keep stirring until it bubbles and gets thicker, then take off of the burner.

Spinach: Put some butter in a pan and add spinach, stirring until all cooked.

Presentation: Put spinach on a plate, then chicken, then sauce on the top!

We Be Jammin'

I am getting requests from people wanting to know about the how to's for strawberry jam, so decided to post. I want to thank Tracy for getting me started with this, I have had a lot of fun putting up jam for the fam. I also have a pdf version if anyone is interested, just leave a comment and I will email you a copy. I have also made the recipe on the back of the SureGel pectin box and it works out just fine. It was just a little more “solid” than the recipe Tracy had me do, and I like the consistency of her recipe better. I did add a little more pectin to it, but it is still a nice, kind of loose jam that spreads really well. Tracy and I canned my first attempt at her house and it was so much fun I decided to try some more on my own. 252 (or so) pints later I am still loving the whole thing. Tawna, Taya, and Jade now have the “fruits” of their labor on their shelves and I have enough for a year also. Here is the recipe I did:

I doubled Tracy's recipe, and used a bigger stockpot to cook in so I could do bigger batches and cut out some of the cooking time. The doubled recipe below will yield about 11 pints. As the first 8 pints process in the canner, I cook another batch and that way can have a second load ready for the canner pretty fast. This leaves about 6 jars to process in a third round for the canner and when these are processing I start cooking another batch of jam.
Use ripe fruit, not over-ripe for best results. I used a 10-12 quart stockpot. As the mixture cooks it does “grow” a bit and so the pan needs to be large enough to accommodate the process. A 6-8 quart stockpot will do a single recipe (half the one below) just fine and yields about 5 pints.

• Preparing Fruit
  
• Rinse and stem your berries. In small batches, process them in a food processor using the pulse function to the consistency you want. Most of my girls like a smooth jam, I like it slightly chunky. If you do all your fruit at once it makes it easier to just cook and process your jam one batch after the other. If you don’t have a food processor, a potato masher will work.
  
• I did about 32 lbs. of strawberries and got about 52 pints. The boxes I got were supposed to be 4 lbs, give or take and yield will depend on size and spoilage in your fruit. 52 is a jar a week for a year and that is what I like to do for my pantry.
  
• Preparing Lids
• Prepare lids by putting them into a pan of hot, simmering water (that's what the manufacturer's recommend) for 5 minutes, and use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" to pull them out.
• Cooking the Jam
  
• In your large 10-12 quart stockpot combine:
  
• 12 C. Mashed strawberries
  
• 1/2 C. Fresh squeezed lemon juice (Tracy has a lemon tree so we had lemons, and she sent me home with a bunch. Thanks Tracy.)
  
• 3 boxes of Pectin, I used the Sure Jell Brand and Ultra Gel works too. The powdered pectin is about 1/3 C. per package. I use the same measurement for the Ulra Gel. (Ultra Gel does not require cooking to thicken, so may be added after the cooking process and after the foam is skimmed off.)
  
• 1 t. butter (the sure jell package recommends this to reduce the foaming as it cooks.)
  

Place on burner and set to Hi. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. (This means it still boils well even when you are stirring.)

• Add:
  
• 16 C. Sugar (I used 14 cups in mine and it seemed to work fine.)
  
• Stir constantly, sugar will dissolve and allow to return to a full rolling boil. Time for one minte (Tracy and I timed for 5 minutes and it seemed both times worked fine.)
  
  
  
  
• Remove from heat and after a minute skim foam from surface using a slotted spoon.
  
• Processing Jars
  
• Ladel into pints allowing at least a 1/4” headspace. Wipe rims and threads clean and place prepared lids on top. Fasten bands and place into steam canner. (Prepare steam canner according to manufacturer’s directions.) Most steam canners will take 8 pints at a time.
  
• Steam Canner Method (May also use a Water Bath Method to process)
  
• Turn steam canner to Hi on burner and wait for steam to stream from side holes in a steady plume. This plume is usually about 8” out from the side and is sort of a soft plume. Time for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Remove lid taking care to open away from you as the steam can burn you. Using a jar lifter, remove jars onto a kitchen towel a few inches apart and allow to cool. Jars will probably “ping” as you are removing them from the canner. In the event you have one that doesn’t ping, refridgerate and use, or reprocess the jar using a new lid. 
  
  
  
  
• Label and date lids on jars and store in a cool, dry place. Once opened, keep in fridge and jam should be used in about 3 weeks or so. 
  

* If jam is a little on the thin side as will sometimes happen, it makes great syrup for pancakes, topping for ice cream, etc.



Cost of course depends on the price per pound, but in our calculations this was a thrifty way to supply our pantries with jam. The taste is great, and is so much fresher than the commercially produced jars. I love it. I can't wait to try peach, apricot and maybe even some green grape.