Veggie Pasta

Veggie Pasta

1 medium butternut squash, in chunks

4 roma tomatoes, halved

1 yellow onion, in chunks

1 whole bulb of garlic

1 red pepper, in chunks

Organic Veggie Stock… about ½ -1 cup

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pepper

¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, optional

1 palmful of Fresh chopped basil

·         Scatter all the veggies onto a large baking sheet or 2 medium baking sheets (as long as they are in a single layer)

·         Drizzle a bit of Olive oil over them, sprinkle pepper and whatever other seasonings you like (garlic powder, onion powder…)

·         Toss them around until they are coated

·         Roast in the oven on 400 degrees for about 20-30 min or until they start to get browned and tender

·         Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb, and put into a food processor with the rest of the veggies and your fresh basil

·         Side note: I have been known to add extra veggies at this point…. A handful of fresh spinach or kale makes it even healthier

·         Pulse the processor until it is smooth… this is when I add my veggie stock, so add it until it is the consistency of a spaghetti sauce… you can also add the parm cheese if you are adding it

·         Add the sauce to whatever pasta you can have… whole wheat, glutten-free, or my kids like the veggie infused pasta that you can find now!

·         You can eat it like this or you can put the pasta in a baking dish and top with a sprinkle of cheese and bake it until it is bubbly

Recipe shared by Mandy Davies.

Kale Salad

Kale Salad

Kale, torn and washed

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 lemon

Grated Parm cheese

Toasted Slivered Almonds

Thinly sliced Red Onion

Massage kale with a drizzle of olive oil.  Add lemon zest and juice of half the lemon. Toss with cheese, almonds, and onions.

Recipe shared by Mandy Davies.

Canned Pie Filling

My daughter, Alison McMurry, makes this every year. Just like her Mother and her Grandmother and her Great-Grandmother before her. Makes great apple pie later in the winter or next summer!

Apple Pie Filling

 Fill 7 quart jars with sliced apples

Sauce:

4 ½ cups sugar

1 cup cornstarch

2 tsp. cinnamon

10 cups cold water

½ tsp. salt

3 Tbls. lemon juice

Blend together dry ingredients.  Add water.  Cook and stir until thick, clear and bubbly. Add lemon juice. Pour over apples in jar. Seal jars. Process in water bath for 20 minutes.

Makes 7 quarts.

Recipe shared by Robin.

Crockpot Apple Butter

It's apple time! Time to make Apple Butter! Yum!

Crockpot Apple Butter

12 cups chopped, unpeeled apples

¾ cup apple cider

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ground cloves

Combine apples and cider in 3 qt. crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, until apples are soft. Puree apples and return to pot. Add sugar and spices. Cover and cook on low for 1-2 hours. To thicken, uncover and cook on high to desired thickness. Pour into jars. Process for 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

Fresh apple butter will  keep several weeks in the refrigerator or it may be frozen. 

Recipe shared by Robin.

Applesauce

This is a recipe that I used to make when my children were young and still at home.

Applesauce

20 large apples

4 cups water

2 ½ cups sugar

Wash apples, core and quarter them. Place in a large pot. Add water and sugar. Cook on medium until soft. Pack while hot into jars. Process in a hot water bath for 25 minutes.

Recipe shared by Robin.

Canned Apples

This is an old family recipe. It seems like something that would be made by Grandma.

Canned Apples

4 cups apples, peeled and sliced

½ cup sugar

Mix together in a shallow pan. Let sit overnight. Put in quart jars. Process in a cold water bath for 5 minutes. Leave in canner to cool. Use in cobblers, crisps, etc.

Recipe shared by Robin.

5 Decker Dinner

We had this recipe for dinner often when our children were growing up. I had forgotten about it for the past 10 years or so. I was excited when I found it in the recipe file box today. As I looked over the ingredients, I realized that all of these ingredients were in the refrigerator or panty. It was meant to be!

It is 5 Decker Dinner is because it is layered...5 layers...or 6 or 7, depending on what you want to include in the dinner. What do you have in your refrigerator?

5 Decker Dinner

4 strips of bacon (Cut in pieces or leave whole)
1 lb. hamburger (Formed into patties or break it into pieces. Your choice!)
4 medium potatoes, thin sliced
4 large carrots, thin sliced
1 large onion, thin sliced
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup water

Place the bacon in a skillet or dutch oven. Fry the bacon on one side. Turn the bacon and place the hamburger on top.  Season the hamburger. Layer the potatoes, carrots, onion and green pepper on top. Season. Add the water, cover and steam on medium low for 30 minutes.

Serves 4.

Additonal layers may be:
Green beans
Peas
Celery
Corn
Green Pepper

Recipe shared by Robin.

Woodruff Caramel Corn

WARNING! This caramel corn is seriously addictive!  Let the Eater, Beware!

My Dad, Ferrin Brinkerhoff, grew up in a small town in Arizona, named Woodruff. This is a recipe from Dad's childhood. It is an excellent recipe for caramel corn!

Woodruff Caramel Corn

2 cups brown sugar
2 cubes of butter
1/2 cup karo syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup peanuts

1 cup of unpopped popcorn (Pop the popcorn in your desired way.)

Bring the brown sugar, butter and karo syrup to a boil in a large saucpan. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add baking soda and vanilla. Pour over popped corn. Stir well. Add peanuts, if desired. (It's great either way. I PROMISE!) Pour onto baking sheets (I use 2 jelly roll pans.) and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. (This makes it crisp.)

It's delicious with peanuts, too!

Recipe shared by Robin.