Irish Potato Soup

This is just like what my grandmother used to make!

Recipe Source: oldfashionedcooking.com

Prep/Cooking Time:

Ingredients:

8 medium-sized potatoes
1 large onion
herbs, salt and pepper to taste
milk
butter

Directions:

Peel and boil potatoes with onion sliced, some herbs, salt and pepper; press all through a colander; then thin it with rich milk and add a lump of butter, more seasoning, if necessary; let it heat well and serve hot.

Garlic Butter

Recipe Source: herbs2000.com

Ingredients:

6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup soft butter
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, finely minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Set the unpeeled cloves in the boiling water. Bring to a boil, and boil 5 minutes. Drain, peel, and rinse the cloves under cold water. Return to the boiling water, and allow the water to boil up once more. Drain the garlic again, and with the salt and pepper, pound it to a smooth paste in the bottom of a small bowl. Beat the butter into the garlic.

Suggestions:

Use 1 teaspoon with broiled or boiled fish, with hamburgers, steaks, boiled potatoes, or to enrich sauces made with drippings from roasts.

Madeleines

Recipe Source: Cindy’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

3 eggs
115 g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
155 g (1 1/4 cups) all purpose flour
100 g (3 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, melted
grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). brush a tray of madeleines moulds with melted butter and coat with flour, then tap the tray to remove the excess flour.

Whisk the eggs and sugar until the mixture is thick and pale and the whisk leaves a trail when lifted.

Gently fold in the flour, then the melted butter and grated lemon and orange zest. Spoon into the moulds, leaving a little room for rising.

Bake for 12 minutes (small madeleines will only need 7 mns), or until very lightly golden and springy to the touch.

Remove from the tray and cool on a wire rack to cool.

Notes from Cindy:

Makes 14 or 30 small ones

The first day I hadn’t any oranges, so I only used lemon zests. The madeleines turned out to be delicious. The next day, I used both lemon and orange zests. Delicious too. You can also add chocolate bits to the batter or even dip the tip of the madeleine into melted chocolate.

PS: Madeleines are to be served with tea

Classic Potatoes Au Gratin

Recipe Source: Velveeta package

Prep/Cooking Time: Prep: 15 minutes / Bake: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

4 cups thinly sliced potatoes (4 to 5 medium)
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) Velveeta, cut up
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion

Directions:

Cook potatoes in boiling water in a large saucepan for 8 to 10 minutes or until fork-tender; drain.

Toss potatoes with remaining ingredients in 2-quart casserole; cover. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22 to 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender and Velveeta is melted. Stir gently before serving.

Makes 7 servings.

Scalloped Potatoes

Recipe Source: Mom

Prep/Cooking Time: cooking: 15-20 mins

Ingredients:

potatoes, boiled and sliced
flour
shredded cheddar cheese
butter or margarine
salt
pepper
cream or milk

Directions:

Sorry, I don’t have measurements for this one, this is one I “eyeball.”

When cooking the potatoes, make sure they’re done, but not so overdone that they fall apart when you fork or knife them. It helps if you slice them before boiling, usually 1/4 inch thick.

In a small casserole dish, layer flour, salt and pepper (to taste), cheese, small “dallops” of butter, and potatoes — in that order. You’ll want each to form a layer, repeating until you either fill the dish or run out of potatoes. Top dish with extra cheese and butter.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes.

When removed from oven, pour cream or milk into dish to create a “sauce” from the cooked ingredients.

Alternatives: This is a great dish for adding left-over ham or turkey for a “potluck” dish. I also enjoy a clove of garlic in mine as well — it would help to roast it first! Or use the bottled/pre-cooked kind from the supermarket.

Spicy Rice and Tomatoes

Recipe Source: Mom

Prep/Cooking Time: cooking: 30 mins

Ingredients:

1 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked rice
1/4 cup minced onion
1 16 oz can tomatoes
1-1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 tsp mustard
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup tomato sauce

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Cook over a low heat; simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Suggestion: add a can of Rotel to add a little extra heat to this dish!

Greek Pasta Salad

Recipe Source: Flavorite noodle package

Ingredients:

1 (3.5 oz.) can whole black olives
1-1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1-1/2 tsp dried basil
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1-1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup red bell peppers, cut into strips
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
15 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 tsp white sugar
3/4 cup pepperoni slices, cut into strips
3 cups fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
12 oz. cooked Elbow Macaroni

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, black pepper, and sugar. Add cooked pasta, vegetables, cheese, olives, and pepperoni; toss until all ingredients are well coated.

Cover, and chill 2 hours or overnight.

Makes: 4 servings.

Savory Skillet Lasagna

Recipe Source: Hunt’s tomato label

Prep/Cooking Time: prep: 5 mins / cooking: 25 mins

Ingredients:

1 lb Italian sausage links, casings removed
1 can (28 oz) Hunt’s Whole Peeled Tomatoes, broken into chunks
1 can (6 ox) Hunt’s Tomato Paste
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
3 cups pasta
2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions on package.

Cook sausage over medium-high heat in 10-inch skillet until crumbled and no longer pink. Drain. Blend in tomatoes, paste, and seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from pan; keep warm.

Place half of cooked pasta in bottom of skillet. Pour half of tomato-meat mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining pasta, tomato-meat mixture, and mozzarella.

Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until heated through and cheese melts. Remove from heat; let stand 1 minute.

Quickie Lasagna Bake

Recipe Source: Mom

Prep/Cooking Time: prep: 20 mins / cooking: 30 mins

Ingredients:

1 container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or, make your own!)
grated parmesan cheese
1 box ziti noodles

Directions:

Note: This is laid out very similar to lasagna.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Layer with ricotta and parmesan cheeses and spaghetti sauce in a square pan for baking. Top with mozarella cheese, and more parmesan if desired.

Back at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Parmesan Fettuccine Alfredo

Recipe Source: Kraft Foods website

Prep/Cooking Time: prep: 5 mins / cooking: 10 mins

Ingredients:

8 oz. fettuccine, uncooked
3/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
Dash of ground nutmeg

Directions:

Cook fettuccine as directed on package.

Drain fettuccine. Return to pan.

Add remaining ingredients; toss to coat.

Makes 4 servings.

Optional: Garnish with chopped fresh parsley just before serving.