New England Boiled Dinner

   While we are thinking about fall, here is another good fall supper.  It also uses a lot of the vegetables that are in season now.  So head out to the garden or your nearest farmers market and cook a delicious fresh meal, with locally grown produce. 

New England Boiled Dinner

Ingredients:

3 or 4 lbs bone end cut ham
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, can use garlic powder
½ large head cabbage, cut in 6 wedges
4 to 6 small potatoes
4 to 6 small carrots, peeled
4 to 6 small onions
¼ lb or less green beans, broken in half

Directions:
   Wash ham, cut of rind and most of fat.  Put in large pot and cover with water.  Add bay leaf and garlic.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.  If ham is precooked variety, simmer for ½ hour.
   Remove ham and cut from bone.  (Reserve bone for making split pea soup.)  Return meat to pot.  Add all vegetables except cabbage to ham and simmer ½ hour.  Add cabbage to pot the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

                                             A perfect fall day...

Chili

   Fall is just around the corner, with cooler days and even cooler nights.  I can't wait.  Friday night football games and fall festivals.  What goes really good with a little nip in the air?  Chili... Here is a quick chili you can make up in less than 30 minutes.  Serve with warm cornbread fresh from the oven.  Just the right meal for fall nights.

Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger meat
1 Tbsp shopped dry onion, or ½ fresh onion, chopped
1 can tomatoes
1 can pinto beans
2 Tbsp chili quick, rounded
dash of black pepper

Directions:


   Brown hamburger meat and onions (if using fresh onion) in skillet.  Drain excess fat from skillet.  Add remaining ingredients to skillet and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.  Keep adding enough water to keep from sticking, while cooking.

              What can I say...I'm from Texas...Part Aggie...Part Longhorn...

Franks 'n Beans Skillet Supper

   Here is a twist on Franks and Beans.  This on is made with green beans with the addition of bacon to help bring out the flavor.  This supper cooks up so easy and fast it may become your new favorite franks and beans recipe.  So bring out the skillet and lets get cooking.

Franks 'n Beans Skillet Supper

Ingredients:

2 slices bacon
6 frankfurters
½ cup onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ cup water
1 or 2 cans potatoes
1 can green beans


Directions:
   In skillet cook bacon.  Remove bacon and crumble.  Cut each frankfurter into thirds, brown in skillet with onions.  Stir in soup and water.  Drain beans and potatoes.  Cut potatoes into slices.  Add beans and potatoes to skillet and heat thoroughly.  Garnish with crumbled bacon.

Top Hat Supper

   This is a quick easy to prepare meal.  Made with Spam, yeah I said spam.  The most misunderstood and humble canned meat around.  To me Top Hat congers up a vision of Fred Astaire looking dashing in white tie and tails.  That would make this a humble eloquent meal.  Try saying that 3 times fast.












Top Hat Supper

Ingredients:

1 can cream of celery soup
¼ cup onion, chopped
¼ cup green pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
½ cup milk
4 servings instant potatoes
1 can lunch meat (spam) cut in 6 slices

Directions:
    Preheat oven to 370 degrees.
   In sauce pan, melt butter and cook onions and green peppers until tender.  Stir in soup and milk.  Heat thoroughly.
   Prepare potatoes using ½ cup soup mixture in place of milk.  Place meat in baking dish, top with potatoes.  Bake 15 minutes in preheated oven.  Serve topped with hot soup sauce.

                       Wow...If I knew you liked Spam I would have made it sooner....

Skillet Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

   This is a really good recipe for cooking a roast on the stove. You need a heavy skillet with a lid for this one, possible a cast iron skillet.  This is a one dish meal, and it is easy but I wouldn't say it is quick.  But we all know good things come to those who wait, right.  Roast with potatoes and carrots is one of the ultimate comfort foods, and makes the house smell so good.   











Skillet Roast with Potatoes and Carrots


Ingredients:

2 lbs steak, cut in cubes
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
Water to cover
Potatoes, cubed
Carrots,  1 inch cubes

Directions:
   Brown steak in heavy skillet. Pour off grease.   Add soup mix and water to cover steak.  Cover skillet and bring to a simmer.  Add carrots and potatoes.  Return to simmer, and cook for about 1 ½ to 2 hours.  Add additional water as needed to keep it from going dry.

Tamale Pie

   This a quick casserole and is very good.  Beans and cornbread, what could be better.  I have made it as written with pork n beans, as well as with chili beans or Ranch style beans.  It turned out good with any of them.  Don't forget the vinegar it does make a difference in the taste.  If you use an 8 x 8 pan the cornbread will rise over the top of the casserole dish, but will not overflow.












Tamale Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger
½ cup celery, chopped
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cans pork and beans
½ cup catchup
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp chili pepper
½ package (12 oz) corn muffin mix
1/3 cup milk
1 egg

Directions:
   Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
   Brown hamburger, celery, and onion in skillet.  Drain off grease.  Add beans, catchup, vinegar and chili pepper.  Heat thoroughly.  Pour into a casserole dish.  Combine muffin mix, milk, and egg.  Spread over top of baking pan.  Bake for 25 minutes in preheated oven.

Did someone say Tamale?

Ground Beef Casserole

   This casserole is the ultimate in comfort food.  Hamburger, cheese, mash potatoes in a creamy sauce.  What more can you ask for... except a cook to make it for you. 

Ground Beef Casserole


Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger meat
½ cup onion, chopped
1 package (10 oz) frozen peas, cooked
½ tsp salt
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
2 tsp prepared mustard
2 cups mashed potatoes
½ cup grated cheese


Directions:
   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
   Brown hamburger meat and onion in skillet. Pour off grease.  Add peas, mushroom soup, celery soup, salt and mustard.  Pour into baking dish.  Arrange potatoes around edge of dish.  Sprinkle with cheese. 

   Bake 30 minutes in preheated oven. 
  
   Remove from oven and serve.