Spoon Tacos

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon taco sauce
14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
8 ounces tomato sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
16 ounces refried beans
tortilla chips
lettuce
cheese
fresh tomatoes, diced
olives, sliced

Sauté ground beef, onion and celery. Stir in salt, chili powder, and taco sauce.  Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, cheese and refried beans.  Pour into a baking dish and bake at 350 for one hour.  Or simmer all ingredients over stove for at least 30 minutes.

Serve sauce over tortilla chips (I prefer Fritos Scoops) and top with lettuce, additional shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, olives, and other toppings as desired.

Not Grandma's Potato Salad

As you can see by the title, this is not Grandma's recipe. But a few years ago I found one that was similar, and I've tweeked it a little each time I make it. One thing that Grandma does differently: she adds the potatoes while they're still somewhat warm. I think that's because they absorb the flavors a little more. But you have to be careful if you do it that way, because it's even harder to stir them without mashing them.

not Grandma’s Potato Salad

5 pounds red potatoes

1 large onion, chopped

2 1/2 cups mayo

1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard

6 hard-cooked eggs, diced

salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook until tender enough to pierce with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Remove the peels and cut into cubes. Set aside to cool completely.

In a large bowl, mix together the onion, mayo, and mustard. Stir in the hard-cooked eggs and cooled potatoes. Try not to mash the potatoes very much. Season with salt and pepper.

Grandpa Andrus' Chocolate Chip Cookies 🍪

*Terra’s version

2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
2 sticks of butter
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 pkg. (2 cups) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.
Cream the sugars and the butter.
Add eggs one at a time.
Add vanilla.
Mix dry ingredients.
Add dry ingredients to the bowl and mix.
Mix in chocolate chips.
Make dough balls and place on baking sheets.
Bake about 10 minutes, or until golden brown.  Do not over bake.  They tend to get hard later.

Bean Pot Soup

This is Grandma Andrus' recipe, and it's still a classic at my house.

2 cups pinto beans
1 pound ground beef
1 28-ounce can tomatoes
1/3 cup rice
onion, diced
carrots, sliced
celery, chopped
dried parsley
bay leaves
salt and pepper
3-4 cups water
beef soup base or bullion cubes

Bring pinto beans to a boil.  Remove from heat and let stand one hour.  Pressure cook beans 18 minutes or 16 minutes when using kidney beans with less water.  Brown ground beef and drain.  Add beans and all remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil then simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve with ketchup if desired.

Grilled Lemon-Herb Chicken

1/2 - 2/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
split boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mix first 7 ingredients and add to chicken.  Marinate overnight then grill to perfection.

Anna's Impossible Quiche

Passed down from Dad's oldest sister, his isn't your typical quiche (just as she's not your typical aunt). The recipe doesn't have a crust, but includes Bisquick in with the eggs and milk instead. It's the only quiche I'd eaten until I moved out of the house, and is still my very favorite.

3 eggs

1 ½ cup milk

1 ½ cup Bisquick

¼ teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

½ cup melted butter

½ cup diced ham or crisp bacon pieces

1 ½ - 2 cups grated cheese

Mushrooms

Chopped onion (yellow or green)

Chopped green pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat eggs, milk, Bisquick, salt, pepper, and butter with electric mixer. Pour into a greased 9”-10” pie pan. Sprinkle remaining ingredients over the top of the egg mixtures, then press into mixture.

Bake 30-35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Corny Chocolate Crunch

(Makes 5 quarts)

3 quarts popped popcorn (12 cups)

3 cups corn chex

3 cups broken corn chips (Fritos)

1 pkg butterscotch chips

¾ pound dark chocolate coating (I use chocolate chips)

Combine popcorn, cereal and corn chips; set aside.  In a saucepan over med-low heat, melt butterscotch chips and chocolate; stir until smooth.  Pour over popcorn mixture and toss to coat.  Spread into 2 greased 15 x 10 in baking sheets.  When cool enough to handle break into pieces.

Chico's Chocolate Cheesecake

This cheesecake was one of the best things served at the Mexican restaurant I waitressed at in high school.


Crust:
1½ cups vanilla wafer crumbs
½ cup powdered sugar
⅓ cup cocoa
½ cup melted butter

Combine. Pat down bottom and sides of 9-inch Springform pan.

Filling: 
12 ounces chocolate chips
3 (8-ounce) boxes cream cheese, softened
1 can (14½-ounces) sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 300.Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in milk until smooth.

Melt chocolate chips on low, stirring constantly. Mix a couple of spoonfuls of cream cheese to the chocolate to temper. Add chocolate, eggs, and vanilla to cream cheese. Mix until combined.

Pour over crust. Bake for about 2 hours. Edges will get lighter. When circle gets smaller, check for doneness. If it jiggles just a little, remove cheesecake from oven and cool.

(This often cracks when I make it, so if you're interested in presentation, I would suggest a water bath. Don't forget to wrap the bottom of the Springform in foil first. I won't make that mistake again.)

Candy Cane Bread

Dough:
2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoon SAF yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
Approx. 6 cups flour

Toppings:
2 cans cherry pie filling
maraschino cherries
slices of green gumdrops

Thin Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Heat sour cream over low heat until luke warm.  Mix together the sour cream, water, butter, sugar, salt and eggs in mixer.  In a separate bowl, mix yeast with 2 cups of the flour and slowly add flour/yeast mixture, beating until smooth.  Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.  Knead about 10 minutes.  Place into a greased bowl and turn dough over so greased side is up.  Cover tight with lid (spray lid if needed).  Let rise about an hour, or until doubled in size.  Heat oven to 375.  Punch down dough and divide into 3 equal parts.  Roll each part into a 15- x 6-inch rectangle and place on greased baking sheet.  Cut dough with kitchen shears, about 1 1/2 inches on each side, leaving 3 inches in the middle.  Cut them at 1 1/2-inch intervals.  Spread filling in middle and criss-cross strips over the filling.  Stretch the dough to 22 inches and curve to form cane.  Pinch the ends together to prevent filling from coming out.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.  While it's warm, brush with butter and drizzle icing on top.  Add maraschino cherries and gumdrop slices to look like holly leaves.  Makes 3 candy canes.

Beef Stroganoff

When I was a kid, beef stroganoff was one of our favorite meals. It was probably the most common birthday meal request in our home. Mom made two different recipes, and this was considered the "fancy one" because it's made with steak, rather than ground beef.

1½ pounds round steak
1 package Lipton onion soup mix
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
Fresh mushrooms
1 can beef broth
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup flour
Water

Cut steak into 2 x ½-inch strips across the grain. Brown over medium heat in skillet, then turn heat to low. Simmer long enough to tenderize meat.

Add onion soup mix, soup, mushrooms, and broth. Bring to boil. Thicken with flour/water mixture. Add sour cream and serve over egg noodles.

Baked Beans

Dice and Saute:
1 medium onion
1 green pepper
2 pieces celery
1 slice ham
When tender add:
1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
Add:
60 ounces canned baked beans, liquid at top skimmed off
1 cup grated cheese

Mix in a large slow cooker and cook on low for approximately four hours, stirring occasionally.

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 box devils food cake mix
1 box instant chocolate pudding

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup cooking oil
4 eggs
1 bag (2 cups) chocolate chips
Powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips and powdered sugar. Beat 4 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake in greased and floured (or try greased and powdered sugared) 12-cup Bundt pan for 50 minutes. Turn out on wire rack or serving plate to complete cooling. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Homemade Pasta Sauce

Recipe based on Christensen's Christmas Lasagna
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 #10 can (106 ounces) tomato sauce
4 cups tomato paste (from #10 can - 111 ounces)
7 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, slightly drained (optional)
1 3/4 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons basil
1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 3/4 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons parsley

Mix and heat ingredients in a large pot. Simmer for 30 minutes. This recipe is enough for 7 pounds of meat and 7 pounds of pasta. Measure 20 ounces of sauce (about 2 1/4 cups) in each freezer bag to store. The can of tomato paste is 12 cups total. Divide the remaining 8 cups of paste into two freezer bags for future batches of sauce.

Grandma Andrus' Orange Rolls

Note: Grandma's verbal instructions are in italics.
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups hot water
5-6 cups flour
1 tablespoon yeast

Glaze:
1/2 cube butter + 2 tablespoons margarine (Keeps butter from separating.)
1/2 cup sugar
Grated rind from 2 oranges

In a glass or metal bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, oil, and salt. Add the bubbly yeast mixture, then mix in 3 cups flour. If using SAF yeast, mix it with 1 cup of the flour before adding to the liquid mixture.

Add remainder of flour (2-3 cups). Dough should be sticky and not as stiff as bread dough.

Put in covered greased bowl and let rise 1 hour. Punch down and refrigerate overnight, covered.

When ready to roll out (about 2 hours before serving) roll into one large rectangle. Brush with glaze and cut in half the length of the dough. roll as you would cinnamon rolls and cut each half into 18 slices. Put in greased muffin pans. Cover with light towel and rise until double in bulk (about an hour).

Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes.

Split Pea Soup with Sausage Balls

1 pound (2¼ cups) green split peas
2 – 2½ quarts water
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon marjoram
1 pound bulk pork sausage
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced potatoes
1 cup diced onion

Wash split peas; cull. In large saucepan combine water and seasonings; bring to boil. Add peas gradually so water does not stop boiling. Shape sausage into 1-inch balls (about 28 of them); roll in flour. Drop into soup. Cover; simmer until peas are tender – 2½ to 3 hours. Thirty minutes before serving time, add vegetables; cook until tender.

Christmas Lasagna

10 no-boil lasagna noodles (or half of a 1 pound box)
1 pound mild Italian sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2½ cups (about 28-ounce can) diced tomatoes, drained slightly
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon basil
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon parsley

Set noodles aside. Brown and drain sausage. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered (I use a splatter guard) for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

½ pound mozzarella, sliced or shredded
½ cup grated Parmesan
½ pound shredded mild cheddar

Combine and set aside for cheese layer.

2 eggs
1 pint cottage cheese
2 tablespoons parsley

Beat eggs. Stir in cottage cheese and parsley.

Layer noodles, cottage cheese mixture, meat sauce, cheese in greased 9x13-inch pan or two square pans. Repeat twice for a total of three layers.

Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Can be frozen. Allow at least 24 hours to thaw in fridge, then bake.

Grovecrest Peanut Butter Fingers

¾ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup peanut butter (I use creamy, but chunky would work too)
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups flour
1¼ cups oats

Mix well. Press on ungreased jellyroll pan (or cookie sheet with edges). The mixture will be sticky. I cover it with a sheet of waxed paper and just press it with my hands to fill the pan, then peel the paper off when I'm done. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes, until center doesn’t jiggle. Frost with chocolate frosting when cooled. (Recipe below.)

Chocolate Butter Frosting
1/3 cup butter, softened
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa
2 cups powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
About 2 tablespoons milk

Mix butter with sugar and cocoa until blended. Stir in vanilla and milk. Beat until frosting is smooth and spreading consistency. Fills and frosts two 8- or 9-inch layers or frosts 13x9-inch cake.

Burnt Vegetables

3 carrots, sliced
2 potatoes, sliced
1 pound broccoli, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 pkg. Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage (any variety)
salt and pepper to taste

Steam carrots and potatoes for five minutes. Meanwhile, place sliced sausage and diced onion in a wok or frying pan and saute on medium heat. Add carrots, potatoes, broccoli and spices. Stir frequently until broccoli is tender. Serve with ketchup if desired. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
minced onion to taste
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon seasoning salt

Mix above ingredients and form into balls. Brown in 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Sauce:

6 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar

Mix cornstarch and water until cornstarch is disolved. Combine mixture with remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly.

Add meatballs, pineapple chunks (drained) and bell peppers (1 to 3). Heat thoroughly. Serve over hot rice. [Note: It's a lot of sugar, so I used Splenda and it tasted just as good.]

Ebelskivers

2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
3 eggs, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Beat egg whites until they are stiff. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks; add sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk.
Gently fold in egg whites.
Heat puff pan to medium and generously apply cooking spray. Fill each cup 2/3 full and turn halfway through (about 30 seconds on each side). Makes approximately 40.