Brooke's Argentina Empanadas

2lbs ground beef
4 onions
1 red pepper
4 green onions
2 potatoes
3 eggs
1 tablespoons garlic
salt to taste
1 pack of frozen tapas (you can find at any south american market)

Boil eggs and potatoes until cooked (eggs) and soft (potatoes). Chop and sauce the inions until they become transparent, add meat and cook until no longer pink, add garlic. Chop and add red pepper to cooked meat. Add cooked diced eggs and potatoes. Add salt to taste. Put a spoonful of meat in the center of a "tapa". Seal "tapa" with a sprinkle of water and seal shut with a fork. Cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Chelsea's Cheesy Potatoes

6-8 baked potatoes
16 oz sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom
cheese
1 stick butter, melted
optional: 1/2-1lb bacon.

Scoop out the potatoes into a 9x13 pan and use a spoon to break it up, but don't mash.

Mix sour cream, cream of mushroom, and melted butter. Pour over the potatoes and mix a little but not too much. Top with grated cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 mins (30 mins covered).

Michelle's Taco Soup

2 cans corn (drain)
1 can Rotel Tomatos
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans light red kidney beans (drain and rinse)
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup taco seasoning mix
1 ranch dress mix packet

Directions:
Ground the beef, drain the fat. Throw the ground beef and all the cans in the crockpot. Put 1/4 cup taco seasoning and the ranch dressing on top. Mix it all up. Crockpot on low 4 hours. Makes enough for 2 meals.

CHEWY GINGER MOLASSES COOKIES

PREP TIME: 15 MINS

 

COOK TIME: 10 MINS

 

TOTAL TIME: 25 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ cups butter, softened to room temperature (not melted)
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed for 1 minute until light and fluffy.  Add in the eggs and molasses, and beat on medium-low speed until combined. Gradually add in the dry ingredient mixture and beat until combined.  Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes, until it is chilled*.

Roll the dough into small balls, about 1-inch in diameter. Fill a small bowl with sugar, and roll each ball in the sugar until it is completely coated. Place on cookie sheet at least 1 inch apart, then bake for about 8-10 minutes, until the cookies begin to slightly crack on top.  (They may crack more while cooling.)  Remove from the oven and let cool for a minute or two. Then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Serve immediately or store in a sealed container for up to 1 week.

*It is essential that the dough be thoroughly chilled with this recipe before baking.  Otherwise, the dough will be soft and difficult to form into balls, and the cookies will flatten out significantly while baking.

I actually recommend chilling the dough before rolling.  And then after you have placed your dough balls on the cookie sheet, pop the entire cookie sheet with the dough in the refrigerator for an extra 10-15 minutes before baking.

SAUSAGE, POTATO AND SPINACH SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound red potatoes, diced
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
2. Stir in garlic, onion, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Stir in chicken broth and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Stir in spinach until it begins to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream until heated through, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Serve immediately.

Luann's Chicken Noodle Soup

three bunches of broccoli

three carrots

one chicken

pint of half and half

package of kluskies noodles (thick egg noodles)

Lots of salt and pepper

Put chicken in a large pot and cover with water, add some salt.

Bring water to boiling, then cover and simmer until chicken is done (about an hour)

When done, remove chicken to plate or bowl to cool.  Set broth aside (remove any skum from the sides of the pan.)  May add a cup or two of water to this broth.
(OR 5- 14.5 oz cans of chicken broth)

Prepare vegetables:  peel skin off broccoli stalks, and chop broccoli into pieces.  Put carrots in food processor so they’re in very small pieces.

Add vegetables to chicken broth and let cook for five or ten minutes before adding Kluskies noodles.  Soup should be boiling before adding the noodles.  Let the kluskies noodles cook until al dente.

While vegetables and noodles are cooking, debone the chicken and cut into bite size pieces, salt and peppering as you go.

When noodles are done, add chicken to the soup and turn off heat.  Add half and half and plenty of salt and pepper to taste.  Serve.

Pork Chops

2 tbps Dijon mustard, divided
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 lemon wedges
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs
2 cups panko
4 4-oz boneless center-cut pork chops pounded to 1/8 thickness
6 tablespoons oil divided

Whisk eggs and 1 tablespoon mustard in a medium bowl, Combine panic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on large plate. Season pork lightly with S&P. Dip in egg mixture, then in panic, pressing to adhere.

• Working in 2 batches, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook pork until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side, adding 1 tablespoon vegetable oil after turning. Drain on paper towels.

Spanish Rice

2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp onion, chopped
1 1/2 cup white rice, uncooked
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup chunky salsa

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender about 5 mins. Mix rice into skillet, stirring often. When rice turns translucent, stir in chicken broth and salsa. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed. Do not take the lid off while the rice is cooking. Remove from the pan and let the rice sit, covered for another 5 mins.

Luann's Guac

4 avocados
1/4 Cup red onion finely chopped
2 jalapeños finely chopped
1 lime
2 tomatoes finely chopped

Put chopped stuff in a bowl. Then scoop out avocados and cut to mix. Add juice of one lime and salt and pepper to taste.