Lebanese Pita Pockets

Hubby's mom submitted this recipe for his high school's cookbook. It was a favorite of his family growing up, and now it's a favorite of ours.

3 lbs ground beef
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 lg onion, chopped
1 Tbsp dried mint leaves
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
pita breads, cut into halves
chopped lettuce
chopped tomato
plain yogurt or bleu cheese dressing

Brown beef and onion; drain well. Add garlic, cinnamon, mint, lemon juice, cumin, and salt. Simmer, covered for 45 min to develop flavors. A couple Tbsp of water may be added if mixture gets dry. Serve meat in pita breads. Top with lettuce, tomato, and yogurt or bleu cheese dressing.

Cheesy Vegetable Soup

This recipe is from Quick Cooking 2003, but I double the California veggies to the amount listed here for a heartier soup.

6 c water
1 pkg (30 oz) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
2 pkgs (16 oz each) frozen California blend vegetables
4 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1 lb process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 c milk

In a lg pot, bring water to a boil. Add potatoes, veggies, and bouillon. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 min or til beggies are tender. Stir in cheese, soup, and milk; cook and stir til cheese is melted. Serve immediately or cool and freeze for up to 3 months. Makes 14 servings.

To use frozen soup: Thaw in refrigerator. Heat in a saucepan, adding additional milk if desired to achieve desired thickness.

Tater Tot Casserole

I thought everyone knew what Tater Tot Casserole was til a friend out east mentioned that it was a midwestern dish and that lots of her non-midwestern friends had never heard of it.

This is one of those comfort meals that I remember eating as a kid. I'm sure there are many, many different versions of it. This is mine. I don't have it written down, I just make it, but I'll try to write it down for others to follow. The pizza tot casserole version is based on one I found in a cookbook.

2 lbs ground beef
1/2 of a chopped onion
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained (may substitute 2 cans green beans, drained)
any or all of the following spices to taste: seasoned salt, salt, pepper, garlic powder
32 oz pkg frozen tater tots

Brown beef and onion in skillet, draining as needed. Mix in soup, corn, and spices; heat through. Put meat mixture in greased 9x13" pan. Arrange tater tots in single layer on top of meat mixture. Bake according to tater tot package directions.

Pizza Tot version changes:
Saute half or all of a chopped green pepper with beef and onions.
Substitute 2 cans tomato soup for cream of mushroom soup.
No corn or green beans.
Add 1 or 2 cans (4 oz each) of mushrooms (drained) to beef mixture with soup.
Use Italian seasoning and/or oregano instead of or in addition to the garlic powder.
After putting the meat mixture in the pan, sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese and/or black olives on top before adding the tater tots.

Sunshiny Fruit Salad

This is my go-to fruit salad.

2 cans (20 oz each) pineapple chunks
2 cans (11 oz each) mandarin oranges
1 pkg (3.4 oz) instant lemon pudding
other fruit of your choice, atleast 5 c total (I like to use sliced strawberries, blueberries, apple chunks, and/or halved grapes. Bananas would also work well, but I'm not big on bananas in fruit salad.)

Drain pineapple and oranges, reserving the liquid from one of the pineapple cans. In a sm bowl, combine the pudding mix with the reserved pineapple juice. In a lg bowl, mix together all fruit except oranges. Add pudding/juice mixture and stir. Gently fold in oranges. (Do not mix too much once oranges are in or they will fall apart.) Chill 2 hrs. Makes 10-12 servings.

*Note: The fruit salad will get more liquidy the longer it sits.

Grilled Herbed Chicken

We tried this for the first time on Memorial Day 2010 and will definitely be making it again!

1 c lemon juice
1/2 c vegetable oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 -5 lg boneless, skinless chicken breasts OR about 3 lbs chicken, quartered

Put lg plastic ziploc bag in bowl. In bag, mix together all ingredients except chicken. Add chicken, zip bag, and turn to coat chicken. Refrigerate chicken in bag for 8-24 hrs. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat, turning and basting frequently with remaining marinade til juices run clear.

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

This recipe is from a friend and co-worker who even put them in our church's cookbook.

I like to make these cookies with our homemade strawberry jam instead of the raspberry.

2/3 c sugar
1 c butter, softened
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 c flour
1/2 c raspberry jam

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In lg bowl, combine sugar, butter, and almond extract. Beat at med speed til creamy. Reduce speed to low and add flour. Beat til well blended. Shape dough into 1" balls. Place 2" apart on a cookie sheet. With thumb (I like to use my pinkie finger.), make an indentation in center of each cookie. Fill each indentation with about 1/4 tsp jam. (A baby spoon works great for putting the jam in.) Bake for 14-18 min or til edges are lightly browned. Cool completely. Makes 3 1/2 dozen.

Glaze:
1 c powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
2-3 tsp water

In a sm bowl, stir together all glaze ingredients til smooth and desired consistency. Drizzle over cookies.

Wafflewiches

My stepmom made these for us when I was young. Now I make them, and the kids gobble them up!

even number of waffles (homemade or thawed frozen storebought, NOT belgian waffles)
bacon or sausage patties
shredded cheese

Cook the bacon or brown the sausage patties. When meat is done, break bacon pieces in half and put 3 bacon halves on a waffle OR put 1 sausage patty on a waffle. Top with shredded cheese, and cover with another waffle. Wrap each wafflewich individually in foil and put in 300-350 degree oven for 5-10 min or til wafflewich is warm and cheese is melted. Unwrap and eat.