Original Pancake Recipe

This is a large recipe.
3 cups flour
3 cups milk(may need to add up to 1/2 cup for desired thickness.)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon oil
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix all ingredients together in large bowl. Batter will be lumpy. Add additional milk if batter is too thick. Pour circles of batter onto a hot griddle. Turn over when edges start to dry and bubbles on the surface start to pop. Cook other side a minute or two until browned, then remove from griddle. Top as desired with butter, syrup or fruit.
Cook all batter, any leftover pancakes will freeze and reheat well.

Biscuits and Beef

This name is boring, if you try this recipe, please give me ideas for better names!

1 pound ground beef
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 Tablespoons oil
1 large onion, diced
1/2 teapoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper(or to taste)
2 cups shredded cheese

Biscuit Batter:
2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortning
1 1/2 cups milk


Preheat oven to 450.  Cook potatoes in oil 5 minutes on medium heat or until tender.  Add onions and cook until they are also tender, the potatoes will brown a bit, that is good.  Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper, brown.  Drain that mixture well.  While it is cooking, put the flour, salt and baking powder in medium mixing bowl with shortning.  Cut it with a fork or pastry cutter until the shortning is all mixed into the flour.  Stir in milk, it will be a lumpy.  Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray and place ground beef mixture in the bottom of it.  Top with cheese and then batter over everything.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until it is golden brown on top.  Cut and serve.

Taco seasoning from scratch

You can use this as a base for seasoning your Mexican food when you don't have the store bought kind.

2 Tablespoons ground cumin
2 Tablespoons red chili powder
1 Tablespoon garlic salt

Mix together, store tightly sealed if you don't use it all.  Season to taste tacos, burritos and sauces.

Chicken and Eggplant Tostadas

1 eggplant, cubed
3-4 yellow squash, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, diced
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 large can green chile
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 can cream of chicken soup
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2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup water
taco seasoning, see my recipe if you don't have it on hand.
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precooked tostada shells
cheese, salsa and sour cream, if desired

Saute onion and squash in large pot for 10 minutes.  Add eggplant and saute until tender.  Add cream of chicken and simmer 10 minutes.
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Cube chicken breasts and simmer 20 minutes or until they are cooked through.  Shred and season with taco seasoning.
-----To serve:
Top one tostada shell with eggplant, then 2 Tablespoons or so of chicken, then top with desired toppings.

Pizza Pasta

1/2 pound Penne

1/2 jar  of your favorite pasta sauce

2 cups Mozzarella cheese

12 pepperonis

Boil Penne according to package directions, drain and place in skillet with a lid(I also boiled mine in this deep skillet.)  While the pasta is draining, pour the sauce into the skillet and bring it to a simmer.  Add pasta and gently fold in.  Top with cheese and pepperoni.  If you have an oven-friendly skillet you can place it in the oven to melt the cheese.  I did not, mine has a plastic handle I would like to keep, so this is what I did:  After placing pepperonis on top, put the skillet lid on and put the heat on as low as it will go.  Heat for 5-10 minutes or until cheese melts.  Be careful not to have the heat on too high, you don't want the pasta to stick on the bottom.

Another Attempt to Replicate Grandpa's Chili Beans

2 pounds dry beans

2 large onions, diced

1 7oz can green chile, diced

1 can tomato sauce

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 Tablespoon garlic salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 or 2 Tablespoons corn starch

Water

1. Soak beans according to package directions.  Drain the liquid out.  Saute onions with cooking spray in skillet.

 2. Place beans in Crock-Pot with onions and chiles and about 11 cups water, set it on high. Simmer without lifting lid for 8 hours. 

Pay attention: if the water starts to run out, you may need to add more boiling hot water, but try not to add too much water or lift the lid unless necessary. 

3. After 8 hours in the slow cooker, brown the ground beef with the spices and add it and the tomato sauce.  4. Dissolve one tablespoon of cornstarch in 1/4 cup water and add it to thicken.  You may need to add another tablespoon depending on the thickness desired.  Taste it and add more salt if desired.

You want it spicy?  I roasted 3 fresh jalepenos and another green chile from the garden, chopped them and added them as well.  I let them cool after roasting and peeled them wearing gloves.

Quick Creamy Noodles

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, diced
garlic salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound egg noodles
1/4 cup(1/2 cube) butter or margarine
1 cup milk
2 cans cream of mushroom soup

Brown ground beef and onions together, season with the garlic salt and pepper.  Boil egg noodles  in large pot according to package directions, drain well.  When ground beef is done and onions are tender, add butter, milk and soup.  Simmer while egg noodles finish cooking.  After draining noodles, place them back in the pot and add skillet contents.  Fold in gently, simmer a few more minutes if desired, and serve.

Hot Jalepeno Squash

Hot, hot, hot!!

4 small yellow squash
2 small onions
1/4 cup bottled or canned jalepenos, chopped(use half for medium heat)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425. Peel squash, quarter lengthwise and slice in 1/4" slices.  Dice onions, chop jalepenos.  Mix squash, onion and jalepeno in a large mixing bowl with garlic salt.  Spray 9x13 casserole dish and add contents of the bowl.  Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and cover with foil.  Bake 45 minutes, then remove foil and bake for 15 minutes more or until breadcrumbs brown.  Leftovers are even hotter the next day.