1 head lettuce, washed
1 cup celery, diced
4 eggs, hard cooked and diced
1 – 300 g package frozen peas (not cooked) – I think I use about ¾ of a cup.
½ cup green or red pepper, diced
1 sweet onion, medium size, diced
8 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
2 cups mayonnaise
2 tbsp. sugar
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups croutons

Tear lettuce into small pieces and put in 9 x 12″ dish. Layer the rest in the order given. Add sugar to mayonnaise and mix well. Spread over top as frosting. Top with cheese. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Do not mix. Sprinkle with croutons just before serving. I also waited until just before serving to put the cheese on.

1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoon cooking oil
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk all wet ingredients together, then add the dry just until mixed. The batter should be a little bit lumpy. Cook in a well buttered cast iron fry pan. Turn when large bubbles appear on the surface and don’t press down on the pancake after turning. Remember to butter the pan between pancakes.

1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef
2 tbsp vegetable/beef/chicken stock powder
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 – 28oz. can stewed tomatoes (I used 5 fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped)
1 pouch vegetable soup mix (I used Knorr)
6 cups waters
salt and pepper to taste

In large stock pot, cook beef until browned. Add the remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 2 hours over low heat stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
2/3 cup melted margarine or butter
3/4 cup molasses
1 tbsp. milk (or yogurt!)
1 beaten egg

Mix all ingredients. Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup walnuts (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients in order given and spread into a greased 8″ square baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Let cool before cutting.

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup margarine
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Mix first three ingredients in a saucepan; boil for 2 minutes.

Mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl. Add the sugar mixture and mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets and refrigerate until firm.

1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 stalk celery
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 & 1/2 cup water
1 package Knorr vegetable soup mix
1/2 cup sour cream

Chop and saute vegetables in olive oil until transparent.
Cut chicken into strips and add to the vegetables, cooking until no longer pink.
Add water and soup mix, simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Stir in sour cream and serve over cooked rice or egg noodles.

Possible addition: If you’d like something even more substantial, add one cup frozen vegetables with water and soup mix.

Broccoli Salad
Recipe from Ptelea

5c. broccoli florets
½ c diced red onion
½ c grated cheddar
¼ c sunflower seeds
6 bacon slices, in bits
¼ c raisins

With dressing:
2T sugar
2T red wine vinegar
6T mayonnaise

Combine all salad ingredients in mixing bowl. Stir together dressing in another small bowl. Toss the salad into the dressing and chill.

Notes:
This salad is easy on substitutions and omissions. Last time I used mozzarella instead of cheddar, white onions instead of red, and had to leave out the bacon and raisins completely. Personally, I like to lower the broccoli to about three or four cups and replace what’s missing with shredded raw cabbage. Any way you do it, you are not likely to miss.

So, that begs the question – where do the broccoli *stems* belong? In the compost, the trashcan OR a new dish? For so long, it was one of the first two for me. I had no idea what to do with them. Then a little recipe gave me an idea, and eureka, no waste. Hurray!

Fancy Vegetable Medley
From Whole Foods for the Whole Family

1 c. thinly sliced onions
2 T. butter
2 c. diagonally sliced carrots
4 c. broccoli
1 t. basil
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
dash of pepper

Saute onion in butter in large skillet until tender. Add carrots. Saute 5 minutes. Slice broccoli stems thinly and cut florets 1 inch long. Add broccoli stems to skillet; saute for 2 minutes longer. Add florets to skillet with seasonings. Simmer, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes.

Notes:
My spin on this is to only use the broccoli stem, as the florets have been enjoyed in the above salad. Without the florets, I don’t have to worry about overcooking them and can therefore keep the other vegetables on the fire a little longer. So, I add in 1/2 to one cup of chicken broth with the seasonings.