Meatloaf Kathy B.

Ingredients . 1/2 lb. bacon 2 lbs. ground beef 1 green pepper, diced 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1 cup bread crumbs Salt and Pepper to taste Directions Line casserole (we traditionally used a ring mold) with bacon slices. In mixing bowl, combine other ingredients. Mix only as much as necessary to combine. Put mixture into lined casserole. Cover top with additional bacon strips. Bake at 350 degrees about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. [back to top]

Beef & Noodles Kathy B.

Ingredients . vegetable oil 1/4 cup flour (or enough to coat beef cubes) salt & pepper to taste cubed beef  1 package egg noodles Make gravy from the cooked beef drippings, or, purchase1 jar prepared beef gravy.  Directions Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a heavy skillet. Mix flour, salt & pepper in a paper bag or plastic baggie. Coat the beef cubes, shaking off the excess flour.  Slowly add the coated beef cubes to the skillet. You want to brown the beef, so don't overfill the pan. If you put too many beef cubes in the skillet at one time, they will stew in their own juices. A lot will depend on the size of the pan you use and the amount of meat you're browning. If necessary, brown the beef in two batches. Cook the beef until it is done to your liking - medium well to well. Remove beef from the skillet and make a gravy by adding water, beef stock and/or wine to the drippings in the pan. Bring to a boil, thicken with a mixture of flour & water. Put the beef cubes back in the gravy to be sure they're warm. Meanwhile, boil water, salt it, and cook the noodles.  Drain noodles.  Serve the noodles, pouring the beef and gravy over the top.  [back to top]

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Spaghetti Sauce Kathy B.

Ingredients . 1 small can mushrooms 1/2 medium onion, chopped 1 Clove garlic, minced 2 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 pound ground beef salt & pepper to taste 1 can tomato sauce (14.5 Oz.) 1 can tomato soup one pinch curry powder one pinch thyme one pinch red pepper Directions Drain mushroom, reserving liquid. Sauté mushrooms, onions and garlic in oil until lightly browned. Add meat, salt and pepper, and fry until done but not hard. Transfer to a heavy saucepan Add remaining ingredients and mushroom liquid. Simmer very slowly 1-1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if it gets too thick. If desired, you can make small meatballs and drop them in the sauce to cook  for the last 45 minutes. Serves 4. As the years went on, I tended to add a bit more than just a pinch of curry  powder, thyme and red pepper. [back to top]

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German Potato Salad Grandma Jaeger's style; recreated by Jo click here for Gram's recipe

Ingredients . 6 red potatoes, boiled and sliced 1 medium onion, diced celery, diced (about 2 stalks) radishes, diced (3-4 for color & crunch) carrot, shaved  salt and pepper to taste 4-5 bacon strips 1-2 tablespoons vinegar 1 hard-boiled egg, sliced  Directions Gently mix together potato, onion, celery, radish, carrot.  Set aside. Cook the bacon well and place the cooked bacon on paper towels to drain and cool.  Do not discard the bacon grease.  Crumble the bacon when cooled and add to potato salad. There will be about 2-3 tablespoons bacon grease in the pan.  Add vinegar to taste. I try for the typical 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 oil mixture.  Watch your nose, but it's a Great sensation! Mix the liquid into salad until desired moisture level is attained.  Taste test and add salt or vinegar as needed. Top with sliced hard boiled egg. Serve at room temperature. Serves 4-6. Note: Cook the bacon in a cast iron skillet if you have one.  There's something about the cast iron bacon scrapings with the vinegar once it hits the onions that are to Die for. [back to top]

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Caramel Apple Salad Jo

Ingredients . Salad   1 small can crushed pineapple, well drained 6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1 cup dry-roasted unsalted peanuts to taste (optional)  Dressing   1 stick of softened butter (I've cut it as low as 6 tablespoons) 1 small container of Kool Whip 1 cup powdered sugar  Directions Mix salad ingredients together.  Mix dressing ingredients together.  Then combine the two in a serving dish. This is best eaten the same day but if you tip the container on edge and put some paper towels in the bowl to absorb excess liquids that develop, the apples stay somewhat crunchy the next day. Though the peanuts don't.  This can be prepared on-site by mixing the apples & pineapple (sometimes add a little lemon juice) in the serving dish, then covering the surface with plastic wrap to eliminate as much air as possible. Mix the butter and Kool whip and put in a separate container.  Put the peanuts in a baggie. Blend everything just before eating.   I use this recipe all the time take to work. Co-workers request it...Enjoy! If you have a Pampered Chef type peeler/corer/slicer I get this made in about 10 minutes. [back to top]

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Blueberry Muffins Donna

Ingredients . 2 large eggs 1/2 cup packed brown sugar  3 tablespoons vegetable oil  1-1/3 cup half & half 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup blueberries (fresh, or thawed frozen berries) 1 cup toasted chopped pecans or walnuts (I don't use them but they're in the recipe) . Variations: The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup oil and 1 cup heavy cream, which is a bit rich for me. You can use whole milk or 2%. I've made this recipe all different ways and I like my half & half version. I've never tried non-fat milk - I don't think it would work well with that little fat.  Directions Preheat oven to 400. Mix eggs, sugar, oil, milk, and vanilla in large bowl.  Sift together dry ingredients. Blend dry ingredients into wet until just mixed. Muffin batters should be lumpy. Fold in blueberries and nuts. Spoon into paper-lined muffin tins.  Normal or large size muffins pans are fine.  I tend to make the larger muffins. Bake about 20 minutes until golden.  Cool on rack. Makes ~ 8 large or 12 regular muffins. [back to top]

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Soft Oatmeal Cookies with Raisins and Molasses Donna

A spicy, moist cookie Ingredients . 1 cup shortening (or butter) 1-1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1/3 cup molasses 3 eggs 3 cup quick-cooking oats 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground cloves (optional, I don't use it) 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1-1/2 cup raisins (original recipe 1 pkg = 6 ounces dried apricots, chopped) Directions In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar.  Beat in molasses.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.  Combine remaining ingredients; stir into batter. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours. Shape into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until browned. (They get darker when they cool, so don't over bake). Makes 7 dozen (a lot!) [back to top]

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Thanksgiving Roasted Turkey & Gravy Donna

Ingredients A high-quality "natural" turkey.  Don't use a brand that was injected with salt water.   3 cans of chicken broth (for basting and for gravy). Use a mix of regular and low sodium as desired. 2 sticks butter (one for bird, one for gravy) salt, pepper, other seasonings as desired (like onion) juice from one lemon (about 3 tablespoons) 1/3 cup flour (for gravy) Directions Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove the packets of neck & organ meats, then rinse the bird under cold running water until clean.  Place the bird in the roasting pan, breast up. Place pats of butter liberally throughout the bird, sliding them under the skin from any existing openings.  Don't cut any more holes in the skin, just squish the butter around underneath the skin as much as you can.  Rub liberally with salt & pepper and other seasonings to taste. Add the juice of a fresh-squeezed lemon into the turkey cavity. I also add some coarsely chopped onion. Add ~8 ounces chicken broth to the bottom of the roasting pan.  A "natural" turkey won't drip greasy, salty fluid, so you have to add broth to the pan. You can add any left over butter from the one stick you used to season the bird. You can add more broth as needed for basting. Truss the legs & wings in, or just tuck them in as close to the body as you can.  Roast in an uncovered roasting pan until fully cooked. Baste occasionally. Use a meat thermometer and cook until the breast is 170 degrees. Then cover the breast with foil and continue cooking until the thigh is 180 degrees. While cooking, cover the breast with foil if the breast is browning too quickly. Remove from roasting pan and cover with foil. Let bird rest (about 20 minutes) before serving. While the turkey is resting, make the gravy. Melt 5 tablespoons butter in a saucepan. Mix in 1/3 cup flour. Add 2 cups chicken broth and any pan drippings from the roasted turkey.  Bring to a boil and thicken to desired consistency. [back to top]

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Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce Donna

Ingredients . Meatballs 2 pounds ground pork 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup cornflake crumbs 1/8 cup ketchup 4 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes 2 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper Sauce 1 can (16 ounce) jellied cranberry sauce 1/8 to 1/4 cup ketchup 3 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoon lemon juice Directions Combine meatball ingredients until just mixed (don't overwork). Shape into 1-2 inch meatballs. This makes 24 golf-ball sized meatballs. You can make lots of small meatballs for appetizers or a pot-luck. Place in a 15x10x1 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and drain on paper towels. Combine sauce ingredients in saucepan.  Cook, stirring frequently until the cranberry sauce is melted.  Add the meatballs to the cooked sauce and heat through. Serve over white rice (prepare according to package directions). Easily serves 4 [back to top]