Recipes!

One of our favorite things to do ... besides painting, is to eat!  If you have a favorite recipe please share it with us. Email: Melinda or Lois Back to Home page

Lebanese Borghol
Using quinoa instead of bulgar.
Beth Newton
(A friend shared this recipe with me.)

A salad, borghol (another name for bulgar) stems from Lebanon, where it is eaten hot or cold, for breakfast, lunch or dinner, as a side dish to meat, fowl, fish or simply a plate of fresh greens.  Unlike tabbouleh, borghol is cooked and not presoaked. However, in this receipt quinoa (pronounced keenwa)  a grain from Peru is used instead of bulgar.

1/3 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped, seeded, peeled tomatoes (I substituted 12 oz. can of diced tomatoes, and use   the liquid as part of the beef stock).
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil, or 1 tsp dried
1 cup bulgar (I substituted quinoa)
1-1/2 cups beef stock (I used the tomato liquid, water and chicken boullion granules)
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt (I omit)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1.  Heat the oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic, cook 1 minute longer, stir in the tomatoes and basil.  Cook 2 minutes longer.

2.  Stir the bulgar(quinoa) into the tomato mixture, making sure that the bulgar is well coated with the oil mixture.  Stir in the beef stock.  Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered for 5 minutes.

3.  Add the honey, tomato paste, salt and pepper to the bulgar mixture.  Continue to cook, covered until the bulgar is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed, 15-20 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let the pan stand for 10 minutes.  Then use a fork to toss in 1 tbsp of parsley.  Sprinkle the remaining parsley over the top before serving.  Serve hot or cold.  Serves 4 to 6.

Wendy Polisi on March 3, 2010

Cooking quinoa is a great way to improve your health. It is often called a super grain, even thought it isn’t really a grain at all!  Quinoa is an ancient seed that has recently become popular again.  It is considered a complete protein, meaning that it contains all eight of the essential amino acids that the body is unable to produce on its own.  Of special importance is the abundant presence of lysine, which is required for the growth and repair of body tissue.  Most grains do not contain lysine and the absence of lysine can be a major issue for vegetarians if they are not careful with their diet.

OK it’s good for you. It is also good. Beth

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Pumpkin Cookies
Marcy Crowl

Preheat oven and Bake at 375

1 cup Liquid Shortening
3 Cup Sugar
2 eggs
1 cup nuts (optional)
5 cup sifted flour
1-30oz can Pumpkin
2 cups Chocolate chips
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons Soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoons salt

In large bowl blend all ingredients together with mixer. Reserve chocolate chips to last than fold into mixture. Drop by spoonful on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake about 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies should be brown around the edges. These may be frosted with butter cream frosting.

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Recipe: Tuna Salad

Ingredients

1  ea  Env. Golden Onion Soup Mix
1 1/2  c  Milk
10  oz  Frozen Peas & Carrots *
8  oz  Medium Egg Noodles **
6 1/2  oz  Tuna, Drained & Flaked
2  oz  Shredded Cheddar Cheese ***

Instructions

* Frozen Peas & Carrots should be thawed.
** Egg Noodles should be cooked and drained.
*** Cheese should equal 1/2 C

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, blend golden onion recipe soup mix with milk; stir in peas & carrots, cooked noodles and tuna. Turn into greased 2-quart oblong baking dish, then top with cheese.
Bake 20 minutes or until bubbling.

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Apple Walnut Salad

6-8 Apples – Red Delicious or Granny Smith are both very good
1/2 to 1/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts
1 – 8 oz. Vanilla Yogurt cup
1 Tsp. Apple pie spice or Cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg
Peel and chop apples into bite-sized pieces.
Toss with rest of ingredients and serve.

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Millionaire Pie
Submitted by Audrey Hodges

1 - 8 oz Cool Whip (I use Tru-Whip All Natural Whip)
1 can Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
1 - 20 oz can crushed pineapple (drained)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup pecans

Directions: Fold together, pour in graham cracker crust ot pre-baked crust. Let set in refrigerator until set. Makes two pies.

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Cynthia’s Spicy Shredded Pork
Pioneer Woman, submitted by Madellen White

4 - 7 pound Pork Shoulder
1 Onion . 1 tsp. Chili Powder
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
3 - 4 Garlic cloves
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 - 2 Tbsp. Salt . Pepper
1 - 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 - 3 Tbsp. White Wine Vinegar
Lime Wedges

Directions: Rinse and pat dry the port shoulder. To begin, just throw the dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper to taste, the white wine vinegar and brown sugar into a food processor or blender. (I happen to love brown sugar in my cooking, but you can decrease or omit it if you like). Cut one onion into quarters and put it in the food processor with the species… Blend mixture until totally combined and then pour it over the port shoulder. Now rub it into every nook and cranny of the meat, tucking it under folds and in crevices. Let no stone go unturned. Then place the pork into a roasting pan or dutch oven and add a couple of cups of water. Cover tightly and roast port at 300 degrees for sev- eral hours, turning once every hour. When it is fork tender crank up the heat, remove the lid, and roast it, skin side up for another 15 to 20 minutes to get the skin crispy. When it’s done let it rest for 15 minutes before shredding. Shred the port shoulder (two forks work well). When it’s all shredded be sure to pour the juices all over the meat. Serve with warm tortillas, lime wedges, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, tomatillo salsa - - whatever makes your skirt fly up! 

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Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 12 bite-size peanut butter cups

• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or almond extract
• 2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup of a standard muffin pan.

To make crust, in a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until crumbs are moistened. Press crust into bottom of each muffin cup. Put 1 peanut butter cup into the center of each crust.

Beat cream cheese with a handheld electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over peanut butter cups and graham cracker crusts. Bake until just set, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Sweet Potato Recipe
Lois Sanford

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 9 "  x 13 "  casserole dish with butter or non-stick coating.  

4 - 5 C. mashed cooked sweet potatoes  - not canned     (I put them in the food processor so they are nice and creamy.) 
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 C. half & half
1/4 C. butter, melted
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt  

Topping
1/4 C. butter, melted
1 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. flour
1 C.  sliced almonds   (I always use sliced almonds - not slivered)

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes to an hour depending on how much you have made.  You want the topping to be golden brown and crunchy.

The original recipe called for 3 C. sweet potatoes, but I think it is better with more sweet potatoes.  It just depends on how sweet you would like the sweet potatoes to taste.  I also make more topping than the recipe calls for...maybe about 1 1/2 times the amount.  Doubling it is  a bit too much.  I like the topping to stay on top and get crunchy, not melt into the sweet potatoes.