Roasted Peppers

I got this recipe from "Flodia Rigante's Italian Immigrant Cooking", a cookbook that my dear sister gave me. She worked for the granddaughter of the woman who wrote it. If you happen to stumble upon a cheap copy snatch it up quickly as it is a beautiful and interesting cookbook and fun just to read.



Roasted Peppers

12 Roasted and Peeled Bell Peppers (red, yellow, green if you have)
1/2 C minced garlic (i use the "gasp" jarred kind)
1/2 T fresh parsley, chopped finely
1/2 T salt
1/8 T pepper
1/2 C olive oil

Slice the peppers into thin, julienne strips and place into a lidded container. Arrange by color, e.g. all red, green, yellow in separate rows. Mix all the remaining ingredients into a small bowl, the pour over the peppers, put on lid and refrigerate for 24 hours. Serve as a side dish, in salads, or rolled up in pita or tortillas.

Make Ahead and Freeze Breakfast Burritos

Make Ahead and Freeze Breakfast Burritos

Equipment:

1 Large Crock Pot, I use a 4.5 Quart one.

2 Large Cookie Sheets coated with Olive Oil or enough sheets for 24 burritos widely spaced.

1 Large Plastic folding cutting board. Nice to have, but can use counter/table surface instead.

1 Plastic Straw

Sausage/Egg Mixture:

24 Flour Tortillas or Wraps, Burrito Size

2 Lb Pork Sausage, frozen or fresh

1 Lb Ground Turkey, frozen or fresh

2 Large Onions, chopped small. Spanish are best, but may use any kind.

1 ½ Cups Green Chiles, chopped small. May be fresh, frozen or canned.

18 Large Chicken Eggs or 36 Guinea Eggs or combination

Salt and Pepper To Taste

Assembling Needs:

1 Recipe of Egg/Sausage Mixture

1 ½ Cups Grated Irish Potatoes, frozen or freshly grated

3 Cups Cheese, Grated. May be Longhorn, Cheddar, Mexican Blend, Colby etc.

Oiled Cookie Sheets

Cook sausage, ground turkey,onions and in crock pot until well done. Add add eggs and chopped chili and cook until eggs are done. Add salt and pepper to taste. Assemble burritos: Warm tortillas if they are likely to break, otherwise use as is. Lay a tortilla on a clean surface, I use my fold up cutting board. Add 2-3 tablespoons of sausage/egg mixture, 2 tablespoons potatoes, 2 tablespoons grated cheese. This is pretty subjective depending upon the size of your tortilla and how well you can roll them once filled. Roll into the traditional burrito shape, first folding in the ends, then roll and place on but not touching each other on the oiled cookie sheet.

When a complete sheet is full place in freezer overnight. The next day you can take the burritos out of the freezer and place in gallon sized bags and *remove as much air as as possible to prevent frost from forming on the burritos. We find that our 1200 watt microwave will cook these nutritious breakfasts on high for 2 minutes, then turn over and cook another 20 seconds.

* To remove the air from the bags after filling: Fill a soup pot with water, deep enough to immerse the bag. Zip up the bag except for the corner where the straw has been inserted, then immerse into the water filled pot, keeping the corner out of the water. The air will magically whoosh out the straw then you can use the straw to suck out any remaining air pockets. Then in one swift motion, remove straw and quickly zip the bag shut.

Three Bean Salad

Prepare vegetables:

• 3 cans of three different varieties of beans, rinsed and drained (I used white, kidney, and black)
  
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped small
  
• 1/2 onion, chopped small
  
• 1 bell pepper, chopped small
• 1 bunch purslane if you can get it, tear leaves off stem
  
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped fine
  
• 1 large cucumber, chopped small

Make vinaigrette and pour over vegetables:

• 1/4 cup vinegar, I prefer white wine or rice but any kind you have will do
  
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  
• 2 limes or lemons, juiced
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt, I use Lawrey's California Style
  
• black pepper to taste

I started making this recipe when I lived in Lebanon. The abundance of fresh vegetables inspired me to try it and over the years I've refined it. Just this year I switched from parsley to cilantro and it makes it even better. You can keep it in the fridge for several days, so you can make a big batch and serve it at several meals. You can adjust the proportion of oil to vinegar to suit your taste. My family loves it and I hope yours does too!

Lemons

For juicing you want to pick lemons that are thin-skinned and shiny. These are the best for squeezing. To get more juice, heat in the microwave for about 20 seconds, then roll on the counter to soften up. Careful when heating and rolling because they get hot and may explode!

Chunky Tomato Soup

Grannie's Chunky Tomato Soup

1-15 oz can of chunky tomatoes

1-15 0z can of tomato sauce

1-12 oz can of evaporated milk

1 tablespoon honey (or sugar, brown preferred)

Salt

Pepper (optional)

Butter (optional)

Slowly heat all ingredients except butter over low heat. Don't get too hot or milk will curdle. Serve with a chunk of butter in the middle. That's all there is too it!

Kay's Best Cornbread

Kay's Best Cornbread

1 C Flour
1 C White Cornmeal
¼ C Sugar
2 t Baking Powder
1 t Baking Soda
2 C Buttermilk
2 Eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add 2 T oil to a 10” iron skillet and heat on burner until really hot and smoking. Mix dry ingredients then stir in buttermilk and egg. Pour into hot oil and place immediately into hot oven. Bake until golden brown.

White Cornmeal tastes best, but you can substitute yellow. Also plain milk with 1 tbs of vinegar added may be used instead of buttermilk, but it greatly impacts texture and taste. I have a cooktop and I cannot use an iron skillet on it so I use my heated oven instead and heat the skillet until hot but not smoking.