TASTES-BETTER-THAN-IT-LOOKS PASTA SALAD

I'm calling this salad '"Tastes-Better-Than-It-Looks Pasta Salad because it's so plain--kind of like a girl with a face that doesn't stop traffic. Perhaps I should change the noodles, but the family knows this salad with macaroni noodles so I probably won't. Besides that, my daughter-in-law told Phil this was the best pasta salad she's ever eaten. What better praise could you have?

This photo was taken two full days after I made the salad so it's looking a little weary. I usually forget to take food photos until we've either gobbled everything up or almost gobbled it up. This time, because I made a double batch we still had some. The peas were bright green the first day--not so much today, when I took the photo.

TASTES-BETTER-THAN-IT-LOOKS PASTA SALAD--Lynne Snyder

1 part Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
1 to 3 parts sweet cucumber chip’s pickle juice (taste and decide how much pickle juice you want to use)
chopped sweet pickles
canned tuna
shredded carrots

finely diced celery
frozen peas
finely minced green onions
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne pepper
Elbow macaroni, cooked, rinsed and drained.

I used a one pound pkg. of pasta to one can of tuna, about 1 1/4 (or more) cups Miracle Whip, a pint of home canned sweet pickles and all the juice, 2 medium carrots, 8 oz. frozen peas, 3 stalks of celery, one bunch of green onions and then seasoned it with salt, pepper and cayenne.

MEXICAN CASSEROLE

Mmm, good. This was served at our Enrichment dinner last Tuesday. Our theme was, "What Can't You Do Without?" We had everyone bring what they couldn't do without--family and scriptures didn't count so it had to be something else. I took three things but which are all part of my one thing I can't do without. My little desk lamp which shines on my magnifying mirror which I use to pluck my chin hairs--which are actually stray eyebrows (according to Janette Barber: “I refuse to think of them as chin hairs. I think of them as stray eyebrows”). I pluck every single night, whether I need to or not. That is one of my pet peeves, women with moustaches or chin hairs. Pluck Lynne, pluck. So my one thing I can't do without were tweezers.

MEXICAN CASSEROLE--Carolyn Heaton

1 box Spanish Rice mix (Rice a Roni®)

1 (15 oz.) can chopped tomatoes—to use in Rice a Roni

½ pkg Doritos Tortilla chips
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can chopped tomatoes with green chilies
1 can Hatch’s green enchilada sauce
2 cups grated cheese, a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar

Make rice dish as directed, using the one can of chopped tomatoes. Put rice in 9x13 pan, top with 1 can diced tomatoes with chilies. Layer Doritos, crushed a bit. Top with beans, drained and rinsed. Top with enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake in 350 for 35 minutes.

Serve with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, dollop of sour cream and chopped avocado. Can add olives if desired.

OKAY, I DIDN'T EXACTLY MAKE IT LIKE THAT. THIS IS WHAT I DID.

Made the Rice a Roni as pkg. directions. I used a little more than half of a quart of diced, home-canned tomatoes in the Rice a Roni. Didn't put the extra can of canned tomatoes on top--saved it for later. Topped with a bunch of tortilla chips from Costco. Drained a can of pinto beans and black beans and mixed with one can--NOT drained--of S&W Caribbean beans--I buy them to make Cafe Rio salad so I have a bunch in my food storage--plus two Tbs. of Red Hot liquid seasoning. (I dislike kidney beans so I rarely buy them.) Topped them with the rest of the quart of tomatoes, drained. topped that with a can of green enchilada sauce--I would have made my own--I'm a home-made type girl but I'm all out of green chilies. Topped with Mozzarella cheese only as I was too lazy to hunt up any cheddar cheese in the freezer. Baked loosely covered--kind of tented so the aluminum foil didn't touch the cheese--for 45 minutes at 350°. Uncovered the casserole, turned the oven to 400° until it was a little brown on top and bubbling.

For the salad I mixed tomatoes, chopped multi-colored peppers, pepperoncini--also known as pickled banana peppers, and lettuce. I made guacamole, had sour cream and ranch dressing on the side.

Of course, I forgot to take photos until everyone was finished so no photo of the salad and guacamole and sour cream but everyone knows what salad and guacamole and sour cream looks like anyway.

It was very good. Lord Bumhampton had several servings and really liked it. We all really liked it. Go forth and bake some.

RHUBARB FRUIT LEATHER

Grow it. Wash it. Cut it.

Sugar it.

Cook it.

Blend it.

Flavor it.

Blend it some more.

Spray a cookie sheet with vegetable spray. Smooth it out.Pour the hot mixture on a cookie sheet.

Make sure it's evenly spread. Put it in the oven. Make sure the door is cracked so the moisture can escape. I use a wooden spoon.
The finished product. Peel it off the cookie sheet, cut it into rolls and eat. It's delicious. No one can tell it is not normal fruit leather and it's practically free.

The light colored one is watermelon kiwi, the red is cherry and the dark is orange with some dried cherries blended in.

RHUBARB FRUIT LEATHER –Lynne Snyder

4 cups rhubarb, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 1/3 cups sugar
¼ cup water
1 pkg unsweetened Kool Aid®

Wash rhubarb and cut into ½ inch pieces. Put rhubarb, sugar and water into a pot and bring to a boil. I cover it at first and then uncover it to boil as much liquid off as possible.

As soon as the rhubarb is soft you can blend it—I use an immersion blender—also called a “stick” or “hand held” blender. If you use a normal blender be extremely careful as hot liquids will “pop” the lid. You may want to let it cool some before blending and then hold the lid on with a kitchen towel folded to make many layers. Add pkg. of Kool Aid, blend again. Pour onto greased cookie sheet—I spray with “Pam” and then smooth it out with my hands. Try to get the rhubarb mixture as evenly spread as possible—maybe even a little thicker on the edges as they dry faster. Put in a dehydrator or an oven set to a low temperature—my oven has a dehydrator feature on it and I can get it to a low temperature and a fan continually runs so it is a more even heat. I even make yogurt in the oven which takes a 110° temperature. For the rhubarb leather I dry it at 140°. This takes at least a day.

Dehydrate until almost dry. Let cool, peel off cookie sheet, roll and cut.

Sometimes I peel off the cookie sheet and put the leather, top side down, right on the oven rack and let it dry for another hour or so. You can lightly dust with cornstarch if desired.

Years and years ago I dried the leather in a car, with a window cracked. The car smelled divine! Just make sure the cookie sheet is perfectly level. And don’t drive off when the leather is in a liquid state. You will be cleaning up a mess. I called this my redneck dehydrator.

Our favorite flavors are grape and cherry but they are all good...except lemonaid. That flavor was so sour.

If you have some fresh fruit you can blend it in the the liquid rhubarb. If you have enough you don't need the Kool Aid as your leather will take on the flavor of the fruit. Taste it before pouring it on the cookie sheet to see if it has enough flavor.

ZIPPY SALAD

This is probably Phil's favorite "raw" recipe. I love it too but not like he does. He will eat it for days so I always make a lot. Zippy Salad—Lynne Snyder


3-4 diced tomatoes (I used roma)
3 cups frozen corn OR fresh corn, cut off the cob
1 cup chopped celery
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 large cucumber, peeled and chopped OR 1 small jicama, peeled and diced
¼ cup chopped onion or 1 Tbs. dried onion

Dressing:
¼ cup (total) mixture of Olive oil
and Safflower oil
1/3 cup lime juice
8 sundried tomatoes (in oil), chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
¼ to ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cumin
1 tsp. dry basil OR use fresh basil, julienned
¼ tsp Italian seasoning or oregano
¼ tsp. dill weed

Mix salad ingredients together set aside. Mix dressing ingredients together, pour over salad, mix well.

CRUNCHY, SWEET AND SAVORY SALAD

This was adapted from a recipe from Juliano, (THE UNCOOK BOOK). He owns a raw restaurant called "Juliano's Raw" in Santa Monica, California.

NOTE: It makes a LOT, way too much for normal consumption. Cut it in half or even in fourth.

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, julienned

1 large carrot, julienned

1 large yam or 2 medium, sliced and julienned

1/2 cup quartered walnuts

1/2 cup cashews

2 large apples, peeled, sliced thin and cut in half--I used Fuji

1 cup dried cranberries

1 bunch chopped green onions, including most of the tops

1/2-1 jalapeno, minced--I forgot to do this

1 cup--or to taste--fresh squeezed orange juice

1/4 to 1/2 cup--or to taste--maple syrup--start with lower measurement

1/4 cup--or to taste--fresh squeezed lemon juice

4-6 cloves garlic, pressed

2-3 Tbs. olive oil

2-3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

2-3 Tbs. Nama Shoyu OR soy sauce

1 tsp-1 Tbs. freshly grated ginger--more if you are crazy about ginger.

Mix the first set of ingredients together. Mix the second set of ingredients together and taste, adjust to suit your taste. Pour over fruit and veggies and mix well.

CHICKEN TACOS

Start with corn tortillas, fried in a little oil.Top it with sour cream.

Add hot sauce.

Pile on the chicken mixture,

and spinach.
Fold over and eat.

Yummy.
If you want to save calories just pile everything on spinach leaves. Delicious.

And soon this was all that was left. These are our favorite hot sauces, both are mild and I love them both.

CHICKEN TACOS—Good things Utah—original recipe here.

2 tablespoons butter
Canola oil, for frying I never use Canola oil! It does bad stuff to me.
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces I used already cooked chicken
3 tablespoons chopped onion (I used ½ red onion, next time will use a whole one, I think)
I added one chopped jalapeno but will use 2 or 3 next time
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped (I used one –15 oz.—can diced tomatoes, drained, because I was out of tomatoes)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt
Black pepper
Garlic salt I used garlic powder

12 corn tortillas

TOPPINGS:
Shredded Cheddar cheese, pepper Jack cheese, or a combination
Sour cream
Fresh spinach, thinly sliced I didn't slice it, just piled it on
Fresh Salsa or Tabasco sauce
Lime wedges.

6 servings--Ha! We each ate four. But we didn't eat any Mexican rice or refried beans. Does that make us less piggy?

Thanks to Aunt Sue, (this was the Aunt Sue from whoever gave the recipe on Good Things Utah) we have been making these tacos for over 30 years. This is an original Mexican recipe and is one of our family favorites. You may skip frying the tortillas and simply make soft tacos with heated tortillas.

1. Heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and onions and cook and stir until the onions are soft and the chicken is tender and no longer pink. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute more. Decrease the heat to low and stir in the tomato and cilantro. Add water (or chicken broth) if the mixture seems too dry. Season generously with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Continue cooking about 2 minutes. Cover and turn off the heat. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

2. Heat 3/4 cup of canola oil (I only used a couple of tablespoons of expeller pressed safflower oil) in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry one tortilla: With tongs turn it once to cook both sides, then quickly fold halfway over and cook for a few more seconds to make the taco shape I just left it flat. Drain on paper towels. Place the tortilla in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, putting each one into the oven to keep warm. (If the taco shells cool, they lose their crispness and become tough and chewy.) For soft tacos, simply heat the tortillas one at a time in a dry skillet over high heat for a few seconds on each side. (Or wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and heat in the oven at 275 degrees for 20 minutes.)

3. To serve, place a small amount of the chicken mixture in each taco shell. Put the filled tacos on a platter and serve. Pass the cheese, sour cream, spinach, salsa or hot sauce and lime.

Serve with Mexican Rice with Fresh Tomatoes and refried beans with a little shredded cheese on top. We didn't do any of that and it was a great dinner.

Do NOT make this!

Do NOT put equal parts of honey and mustard over chicken and put in the crockpot and then have your husband's assistant ward clerk over to dinner--because the ward clerk got his patriarchal blessing from the patriarch who lives just down the street (Phil was driving him from BYU to the patriarch's house and back to BYU when he was finished because the assistant ward clerk doesn't have a car) and you just could NOT not have him to dinner, even though you got out of church an hour after they were home so the minute you came in the door you ran...okay, this hypothetical person didn't run...to the kitchen and started cooking rice and making salad and other things and then this person tasted the chicken and about died because it was not good but what could she do, having the clerk to dinner and all, so she served it--with apologies--and it was not her favorite but it IS on the top of her not-favorite list. So, don't do that.

But the cute ward clerk ate at least two pieces and said his mom didn't cook Sunday dinner--they only ate cereal--so maybe he was semi-impressed. Not with the chicken but because we had a tablecloth and rice and salad--with my totally wonderful lemon/garlic salad dressing--and other tasty offerings. For dessert I served him my divine homemade yogurt over strawberries.

I'll post how to make the yogurt soon. It is strawberry season, you know, the perfect reason to make yogurt.

And about the chicken? You have been warned. Trust me.

LEMON LAYER DESSERT

LEMON LAYER DESSERT--Joan Sorensen gave me this recipe years and years ago. I have yet to find a lemon dessert as good.

When this dessert first came out about twenty-five years ago Robert Redford said it was his favorite. That Robert, he's a smart man.

Crust:
1 cup flour
1 square butter
½ cup nuts
Mix together. Press in 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool

Layer One:
1 (8 ounce) pkg. cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup cool whip (from an 8 ounce tub.)
Mix together and spread on top of cooled crust.

Layer Two:
Mix 2 small pkg. lemon pudding (instant) with 3 cups milk.
Put on top of cream cheese layer.

Layer three: Put remaining whipped topping on the top. Keep in the refrigerator until served.

You can use chocolate pudding in place of lemon pudding. Put chocolate shavings on top of the cool whip. Joan says the chocolate is good but nothing like the lemon.

RASPBERRY DELIGHT--I CALL IT "RASPBERRY FOOL" BECAUSE PEOPLE TEND TO MAKE FOOLS OF THEMSELVES OVER IT

I really wanted my daughter-in-laws recipe for this but she wasn't home when I called. While I was waiting for her to get back to me I did an Internet search and found this recipe. I was half finished before she got back to me so it's a bit different, but everyone at the dinner party liked it and so did Phil.

RASPBERRY DELITE or RASPBERRY FOOL

Crust
2 cups Flour
1 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped nuts

Layer 1
2 cups powdered sugar
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
4 (1 1/3 ounce) envelopes Dream Whip (prepared)

Note: I used half again as much of everything--3 cups powdered sugar, 3 pkgs. cream cheese, I didn't have any more Dream Whip so I used 2 cups Cool Whip--I might not do that again as it made this layer very thick but...very good.

layer 2
2 (4 3/4 ounce) packages junket danish dessert mix (raspberry flavored, prepared minus 1/2 c water for each pkg.) --I forgot to leave out the 1 cup water and it was okay, I think it would be too thick the way the directions say. Maybe leave out 1/4 cup water per recipe would be okay or even 2 tablespoons.
2 (12 ounce) packages frozen raspberries


Mix ingredients for crust and press into a cookie sheet Bake 375° for 20 minutes or till golden brown. (Cool completely--I put mine in the cold garage for a half hour.) I put the flour, butter and brown sugar in the food processor, mixed until butter was in tiny pieces. I added the nuts and pulsed the machine until they were in tiny pieces.

For layer one: Mix powdered sugar and cream cheese until smooth and fold in dream whip (set aside).

For layer 2 Mix prepared danish dessert w/ frozen raspberries--while it is still warm.

Spread cream cheese mixture carefully over cooled crust and then spread raspberries on top.

Refrigerate several hours. Cut and serve. Serves 24 but sometimes there is a fool or two in the audience and it only serves 22. Or even 20! This has been known to happen at our house when Sharee brings this dessert. We find sneaky people in the kitchen--with forks and a guilty face.

GINGER COOKIES

This is a most unusual recipe. The cookies are delicious but leave you wondering, "What on EARTH is that taste I can't identify." It's a mystery ingredient and the first time I read the recipe I thought, "There is no way I am making those." But the second year they showed up at my door for Christmas--and I hid them so no one else would know they were there--I decided maybe the mystery ingredient was okay. So today I made them for Valentine's Day and delivered them to the sisters I visit teach. Not a heart shaped cookie for my friends but an interesting one. I'd probably rather be interesting than traditional. Well, it depends, I guess but today I went for interesting.

GINGER COOKIES—Tamalin Christen*

¼ cup strained bacon fat--this is the mystery ingredient
½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
¼ cup dark molasses
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg

Cream fat and butter with sugar. Beat in molasses and egg. Add dry ingredients and combine. Shape dough into walnut-size balls, roll in sugar and bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for 10-12 minutes until cookies are golden and cracked on top. Cook on wire racks. Store in airtight container.

*Tamalin is a caterer who makes divine food. She helped cater Lord Bumhampton and Nurse Giggleswith's wedding reception. The food was beautiful and delicious.

ORANGE SAUCE FOR CHICKEN

Original recipe here. I tweaked it and thought it was perfect. Even Her Excellency of Mousehole said it was perfect. Then she threatened me. "Don't do anything more to it. You'll ruin it!" She knows me well. I'm a fiddler, can't resist the urge to just add one more thing. So I didn't fiddle and it was a good thing.

ORANGE SAUCE FOR CHICKEN

1 cup water
1 cup orange juice, fresh squeezed if possible
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup lemon juice
3 Tbs. soy sauce
2 to 3 Tbs. chopped green onion
1 Tbs. grated orange zest
½ to 1 tsp. grated ginger
½ to 1 tsp. pressed or grated garlic
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes or a healthy pinch of cayenne pepper--be careful. I put too much in my last batch!

2 Tbs. cornstarch
2 Tbs. water

Mix everything but cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water together and bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch and water together and stir into orange mixture. Boil one minute, stirring constantly. Serve over chicken fingers and rice or noodles.

THE MEATBALL THAT FELL OFF THE TABLE

The Meatball that Fell off the Table. This is where I got this meatball recipe.

This is the way I served them, with Barbecue sauce and egg noodles. Recipe for the barbecue sauce here.I don't cook with beef. Never. Well, now I will have to say almost never because the other day I picked up a four pound--yes four-pound--package of ground beef, put it in my cart and when I got home--I paid for it first--I said to Phil, "I don't know what possessed me to do this." He didn't know either.

So I went online and looked for recipes to use the stuff. If nothing else, I thought, I could make meatballs and take them to people who were sick. (I actually did this last night along with a batch of homemade barbecue sauce--I could see they didn't have any dinner started so it was a good decision.) I also served it Sunday with the barbecue sauce and it was good. I haven't tried the "soup" gravy recipe yet but will as I still have three packages of frozen meatballs in the freezer

THE MEATBALL THAT FELL OFF THE TABLE

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 egg
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 cup plain dry bread crumbs (I used Italian)
1 teaspoon garlic salt (I used ½ tsp. garlic powder and ½ tsp. salt)
1 teaspoon ground coriander (I left this out)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp. dried
ground black pepper to taste
2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 tablespoons water, or as needed

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir until tender and lightly browned.

Whisk the egg in a large bowl. Add the onion, ground beef, bread crumbs, garlic salt (or garlic powder and salt), coriander, nutmeg, parsley and pepper; mix well using your hands. Shape into meatballs using your hands or an ice cream scoop. (I made tiny meatballs and liked them that size)

Place the meatballs into the skillet, and set over medium-high heat. Cover, and cook until browned on the bottom. Turn, and continue cooking covered, until meatballs are browned on all sides and no longer pink in the center, about 20 minutes. (I cooked mine in the oven. The beef I used was so very lean I didn't even put them on a rack but would have, otherwise. I baked them at 350° for 25 minutes.)

Drain on a paper towel, and pour excess grease out of the skillet. Pour the cream of mushroom soup into the skillet, and stir in enough water so that it is still a fairly thick gravy. Return the meatballs to the skillet, and stir until coated. Serve over potatoes or egg noodles. (I had made them the day before and refrigerated them so I added them to the barbecue sauce and simmered until they were hot.)

STUFFED POTATOES

These are wonderful. Also good the next day, reheated. Probably my favorite ways to serve potatoes.

6 to 8 large potatoes

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

cheddar cheese, I used about 1 1/2 cups, shredded

4 Tbs. butter

onion powder

garlic powder

salt

pepper

Milk or water to thin.

Bake potatoes, slice off top 1/8th. Scoop out potato, leaving the skin intact. You will want to leave the merest bit of potato on the skin.

Put potato pulp and all other ingredients except milk or water in a large bowl and mash. Taste and adjust seasonings. Thin with milk if needed--we don't ever have milk so I use water--stuff back into potato shells and reheat.

Delicious!

PARMESAN ROLLS

These rolls are leftover from the luncheon Sarah and I hosted for the women we visit teach each month. They are sitting in the kitchen, calling my name and I am sitting at the computer with my fingers in my ears.

This is a super easy recipe and fabulous. I used my favorite pizza dough recipe but any roll recipe would work. For a totally easy way just thaw some frozen rolls, cut them in half and proceed.


Homemade roll dough or use pre-made, frozen rolls, thawed. Pinch off a piece of dough, roll it into a rectangle, roll in melted butter and dredge in Parmesan cheese* with some dried parsley mixed in. Put on a greased cookie sheet and let rise.


Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until a bit brown. These are fabulous, I promise. And easy. And fabulous. I said that already, didn't I?


*Just use the Kraft "dry" kind of Parmesan cheese. BUT, once it is open it has to be stored in the fridge. I found out the hard way that this kind of cheese will mold. I had to throw a "almost full" canister away.

These rolls are served at a local restaurant, Magleby's and it's sister restaurant, Magleby's Fresh.

PIZZA PENNE PASTA--Cindy Crookston

This is one of my favorite dishes. It's a tiny bit spicy and full of flavor.

½ lb sausage
1 pkg. pepperoni (to taste)--I like a lot
1 can black olives
½ to 1 chopped onion
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 can mushrooms, drained well
2-3 cups spaghetti sauce
8 oz. Penne pasta
2 c mozzarella cheese, shredded

Cook pasta. Brown sausage. Mix pasta and sausage with everything EXCEPT cheese. Pour into a 13x9 dish. Add shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese on top is melted and just a tiny bit brown and everything is bubbling hot. If cheese is browning before the casserole is really hot cover it loosely with foil.

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

This is a wonderful fudge. If you like peanut butter this is for you. I don't even like peanut butter and I love it.

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup milk*

2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup peanut butter

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add milk and brown sugar and bring to a boil. Boil two minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add vanilla and peanut butter. Mix well with a portable mixer or stir like crazy with a spoon. Pour over powdered sugar--I sift mine first--and mix with a mixer, again, or stir like crazy with a spoon, until all sugar is incorporated. Pour into an 8 inch square pan. Chill, cut and serve.

*We don't keep milk in the house so I put about 2/3 of a half-cup measure full of canned milk and fill the rest of the cup with water--it works fine.

PS It's best eaten warm, right out of the bowl. Don't tell anyone. Only the one who makes the fudge should have that information.

PPS I have made batches and batches of this. Everyone who tries it loves it. This takes less than fifteen minutes to make.

NAKED LASAGNA WITH SPINACH

This is a nice little recipe. A tasty dinner when you forgot to plan ahead.

Naked lasagna before baking.

Naked lasagna after baking.

Yield: 4 very generous Servings or six to eight normal ones. Especially if you have side dishes and a salad.

3 cups Rotini (curly) Noodles--measure before cooking
1 cup plain (not vanilla) Yogurt
1 cup cottage cheese
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, divided
10 oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed*
1/2 cup minced onions--one medium onion, a medium onion makes a heaping one half cup, which is fine.
1½-cup shredded cheddar cheese—divided
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. Squeeze about half of water out of the spinach. Set aside. Cook noodles until tender, drain. Combine yogurt, cottage cheese, 1 cup cheese, spinach, onions and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in noodles. Pour into an 8 or 9 inch baking dish. Cover and bake 25-35 minutes. Uncover, top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake until cheese is melted and browned a bit.

*If I plan ahead I thaw my spinach, right in the box, in the fridge for a day. If not, I dump it in a pan of boiling water, remove the pan from the heat and let sit a few minutes, breaking the spinach apart with a knife or a fork.

DILLY BEANS

Pack raw beans into clean sterilized quart jars. Add one clove of garlic and a whole head of dill and some of the stem--or simmer chopped dill in brine for 20 minutes, strain. Add brine to 1/4th inch of top, clean rim of jar with damp paper towel. Put on lid that has been simmering in water for five or more minutes, add ring. Put in steam canner--or hot water bath. As soon as steam reaches six inches from the two holes in the side of the lid--or water in canner returns to a boil--start timing and remove after 12-18 minutes. 12 for smaller beans, 18 for large ones.

Note: I put jars upside down as soon as they come out of the canner and leave until they are cool. It's a neurotic thing to do but I do it anyway because I'm always afraid the seal will not actually seal.

Brine:

3 quarts apple cider vinegar

3 quarts water

1/2 pickling salt

KALE AND BEAN SOUP-- THE MOST PRACTICAL AND MOST USED RECIPE IN THE WHOLE COOKBOOK

This is a simple and yet delicious soup. It can be on the table in less than half an hour. We love it. See here.
KALE AND BEAN SOUP--adapted from the Internet

8 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced. I used the bottled kind because I was lazy.
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cups chopped raw kale. I will grow kale every year from now on just for this soup recipe.
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth--I used the paste, concentrated broth, plus water. Pictures below.
2 (15 ounce) cans beans, such as cannellini , navy, pinto, un-drained. I have used white beans but my favorite are pinto*
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1-2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning. I used maybe 1 tsp. plus a bit. You can always add more but can't take out.
Salt and pepper to taste. I've never had to add salt but use quite a bit of pepper.
1 cup chopped parsley. I don't have any parsley in the garden, I've used basil but the last two times I've skipped this step as I was freezing the bulk of the soup.


In a large pot steam garlic and onion in a bit of water until soft. Add kale, broth, beans, tomato, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Mine was too hot to eat so I added an ice cube. Phil toughed it out without one.I have used this vegetarian broth paste a lot and like it.This one is from Costco. I've used it a lot, too.

*As the kale continued to grow and I made more and more soup I started using dried pinto beans. I would make a huge stock pot full of soup and freeze it. We will use it all up before the kale is growing again and we will be sad. We may have to buy kale from the grocery store to make this delicious "peasant" soup. Those peasants know how to eat.