Cook and drain according to package direction: 12 lasagne noodles

Filling

Steam until limp:
2 bunches fresh spinach, Swiss chard or turnip greens, finely chopped
or simply crumble and stir in 1/2 frozen block of spinach

Add and mix well:
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large tub of cottage cheese
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup onions, diced

Topping

3 cup grated Mozzarella
4 cup pasta sauce

Spread cooked noodles with filling, roll up and lay in rows of three in greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Pour sauce over all and bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake 30 minutes until cheese is melted and browning. Allow to stand five minutes before serving.

1 chicken, cut into parts
Chicken stock (optional)
½ can of roux
2 large onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 lb. plain smoked sausage, sliced into coins
Cajun seasoning
Salt/pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Fill a large soup pot 1/3 full of water and/or chicken stock. Heat to boiling and add roux, stirring constantly for 5 – 10 min until all clumps of roux are completely dissolved. Stop stirring and allow the roux mixture to boil until it is frothing. Once this starts, let it continue for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chopped sausages and vegetables, holding back a small handful of the green onions. Give it a stir and then season. Let it all come to a boil again, turn the fire down to medium and cook down for 30 minutes. Add chicken, return to boiling, turn fire to medium and cook for 45 minutes until chicken is cooked. As chicken is cooking, skim off any brown imperfections or excess oil and discard.

Keep fire on medium to low heat. Remove and cool chicken, then de-bone the meat and return it to the pot. Taste the gumbo and season again, if necessary. When seasoning is perfect, add in the reserved fresh green onions about ten minutes before serving. Serve over white rice in bowls.

Notes:
Be very sure to purchase plain smoked pork sausage without cheese or Italian herbs. Check the ingredients list if the name is ambiguous. Herbs will wreck the flavor of the gumbo.

A large soup pot means something 6 to 8 quarts in size.

Either homemade or canned chicken stock can be used, but the canned stock might be salty so I would not include salt in the first seasoning. I usually used a half and half combination of water and stock to start the gumbo.

I often used all dark meat to make this gumbo – chicken legs with the back attached – but it is traditionally prepared with the whole chicken. You choose according to your family’s taste. Any combination of parts equal to the weight of one chicken would work.

My dad’s rule of thumb for seasoning was one good sprinkle across the entire surface of the pot. So the first time the recipe says to season – give a good sprinkle of Cajun seasoning and a lighter sprinkle of the salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders as they are all contained in the Cajun seasoning. Once the chicken is cooked and the recipe says to season again, the gumbo usually needs salt and Cajun spice. Mine usually got a bit more of all the other seasonings as well, but it depends on what you give it the first time. It will be a learning process to get your taste buds adjusted to which seasoning is needed, but try to make it taste like mine and when unsure, give a pinch of one thing, let it cook for ten minutes and taste again to see if you got it right. If not, add a different one and repeat the cooking and tasting again. Too, remember that individuals can always add more hot sauce and Cajun seasoning to their own bowls. You do need a certain amount of spice to give the gumbo it’s proper flavor but there’s no need make it very spicy in the pot, especially if you’re serving children.

The brown “imperfections” I mention in the recipe looks like brown goop on the surface. Sometimes there is very little and sometimes there is a ton, but it should come out before serving. Regarding the oil, there should be only a thin layer so remove any more than that.

Mix margarine well with seasonings. Place chicken skin side down on broiler rack and brush with half of margarine. Broil about 6 inches from heat about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn, brush with remaining baste and broil 15 to 20 minutes longer, until chicken is tender.

Cut steak into pieces. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.Quickly fry steak in oil on both sides until lightly browned. Place on plate. Reduce heat and add butter to skillet. Saute onion and mushrooms until tender. Place on plate with steak, leaving as much butter as possible. Add butter to make 2 tablespoons. Blend in flour. Cook until frothy. Blend in beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, salt and peppers. Simmer and stir until thickened and smooth. Add beef, onion and mushrooms to sauce and heat through. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream. Warm to serving temerature. Pour over noodles. Makes 4 servings.

Notes:
I didn’t change this recipe too much, but did let it simmer for a bit longer than called for. Oh and put in a bit more mushrooms. Also, we prefer the sour cream in a dollop on atop each serving rather than being blended in.

But the best part of this one is that it doesn’t taste like mushrooms. I don’t like the things, though Mecandes does.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and pepper. Stir in bread, mozzarella and cream cheese. Set aside.

In a 10 inch ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute onion, zucchini, mushrooms, red pepper, garlic, and oregano for 2 to 3 minutes or until softened. Remove from heat; pour in egg mixture and mix well. Arrange the tomatoes over the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes or until egg mixture is set and golden. Cut into wedges and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Notes:
Left off zucchini – couldn’t find them in winter – and tomatoes
Added bacon bits to the top

by Catherine Doherty

How much we miss in fun, taste, adventure, and economy in bypassing yeast-raised dough and all the wondrous things one can make with it!

For some unearthly reason the modern housewife considers yeast dough, and all that goes with it, first a mystery, secondly a chore. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is less a chore than many elaborate dishes, and there is no mystery attached to it nowadays, because of the new fast-raising yeasts and the perfectly timed electrical or gas ranges. In fact it is very simple to dazzle the family with many new variations on an old theme, and to bring into the modern home that good homey nostalgic smell of newly baked yeast dough, which sharpens appetites even before one sees the finished product itself!

Take a yeast-dough meat pie with rich gravy. Make it, say, for a family of four.

Two fast raising yeast envelopes (Fleishman is best)
½ cup of lukewarm water
2 teaspoons of granulated sugar

First stir sugar in lukewarm water until sugar is well dissolved. Then add yeast. Add by sprinkling. Don’t mix. Let stand ten minutes. In the meantime, heat 2 ¾ cups of milk (or water) to scalding temperature. Add ½ cup of granulated sugar, 1/3 cup of shortening or any other fat you prefer (or have on hand) and ¼ teaspoon of salt.

Mix yeast mixture with second mixture and work into this combined liquid 4 cups of sifted ordinary white flour. Beat well until dough is elastic and smooth. Add about 2 to 3 cups more of white sifted flour. Put on board and knead until flour is well mixed and dough soft and elastic again. It takes only a few minutes really.

Then put into greased dish and let rise until double its original size. Keep it in a warm place in your kitchen, away from drafts. Usually it will rise enough in an hour. Then take half of your dough. Flour table or bread board well and roll dough out with rolling pin. At first it will sort of stretch, and you may think you are not getting anywhere. Jest press harder on the rolling pin and make of the dough a nice square – big enough to fit into the baking pan you want for the occasion (you know your family’s appetites!) and enough to cover over. For what you have in mind is a meat pie, remember.

O.K. So you rolled your dough over. It is a nice good square of orderly shape. Now you take the meat. Best for this is leftovers of beef that have been ground through a machine, with two raw onions and then seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. (I add just a pinch of paprika and sage.)

Now you lay out this meat mixture on half of your square of rolled out dough. Then cover it with the other half, and pinch sides all around nicely. Put into greased baking dish and smear the top with some melted butter. Put into oven and bake at 300 degrees for one hour. Serve piping hot with the following gravy:

Four finely chopped onions, browned
1 can of celery soup
Salt, pepper, sage and paprika to taste

If this gravy is a wee bit too thick for you, add water.

Some dough may have remained. Make buns with it. Usually though, everyone asks for a second helping. That meat pie is good cold too, for school lunches.

From Southern Living – Annual Recipes from the year 2000:

2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4″ thick slices
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
6 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salsa

Cook potato, in batches, in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stiring often, 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels; sprinkle with salt.

Saute onion and bell pepper in skillet over medium-high heat 7 to 8 minutes or until tender; remove from heat.

Arrange potato mixture over onion mixture.

Whisk together eggs and pepper; pour over potato and onion. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until set.

Invert onto a large plate; return to skillet, top side down.

Cook 1 minute or until lightly browned; sprinkle with parsley. Cut into wedges. Serve warm with salsa. Yields 8 servings.

boneless, skinless chicken breasts
jar of favourite tomato sauce
pinch of oregano
pinch of minced onions

Heat oven to 350F. Line a baking pan with tinfoil with long ends extending on either side of the pan (used later to cover the chicken while cooking). Place skinless, boneless chicken breasts flat in the baking pan. Any number of chicken breasts may be used.

Cover the chicken liberally with favourite tomato sauce. Sprinkle oregano and onions lightly over the chicken, and cover the pan with the extra tinfoil. Cook for 90 minutes at 350F; when there are 30 minutes remaining, uncover the chicken breasts and allow to finish cooking.

Chop vegetables and slice sausages into coins. Brown sausage in cast iron pot, then remove.

Saute vegetable mixture until transparent then add sausage back with seasoning, beans and a cup or two of water. My dad’s rule for the seasoning is to give the surface a thin film with the cajun spice, just a pinch of cumin, and salt/pepper to your own taste.

Simmer over low-heat for several hours to cook down. Do not allow all of the water to boil away. It is your “gravy,” so be sure to add more if necessary. May remove some beans once very soft to mash and return to the pot. It thickens the “gravy” a bit. Be sure to taste for more seasoning. I find it usually needs more salt/pepper, dash of Cajun spice and garlic powder. Cook the rice now while you let the final seasonings cook in.

Serve over hot white rice once beans are very tender and it has had time to mingle all the tastes. Easily feeds four people.

3 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
1 – 2 & 1/2 pound fryer chicken, cut up
1 teaspoon salt
1 taspoon pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup bacon drippings

Combine water and salt in a large bowl; add chicken. Cover and chill for 8 hours. Drain chicken and rinse with cold water; pat dry.

Combine salt and pepper; sprinkle half of mixture over chicken.

Combine remaining salt-and-pepper mixture with flour in a zip-top bag. Place 2 pieces of chicken in the bag, seal and shake to coat. Remove chicken to a plate and repeat until all pieces are coated.

Combine oil and bacon drippings in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet; heat to 360 degrees F. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, skin side down. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Uncover and cook for 9 minutes.

Turn chicken pieces, cover and cook for 6 minutes. Uncover and cook for 5 to 9 minutes, turning pieces during the last 3 minutes for even browning if necessary. Drain on paper towels and keep warm.

For best results, keep the oil temperature between 300 and 325 degreees F. Substitute 2 cups buttermilk for the saltwater solution, if desired. Serves 4.

Notes:
If this looks a little labor intensive to you, I’m not going to kid ya… it is. My advice – because these are WELL worth the effort – is to simply start cooking an hour ahead. Ours were cooking while we chatted and had yummy Saturday afternoon drinks. Then when Mecandes had to use the telephone, I employed the timer on the microwave to keep track of the minutes and got the kitchen and dishes all cleaned up before supper.

I’d never fried bone-in chicken pieces before. Always before I’d slice up some boneless chicken and fry them in what I now realize was probably way too much oil. This recipe doesn’t take near so much, so is nicer on the budget. Instead of a whole chicken, I opted for a value pack full of drumsticks to make them easier for little fingers to eat. Oh, and I didn’t have time for the saltwater solution, but the chicken was fresh so it didn’t suffer much in toughness.

We have these with yogurt scones and a green salad. Simple perfect food.