In large skillet, brown large onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add ground beef, and brown well. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, paprika and chili powder to taste. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix water, cornmeal and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Spread layer of cooked cornmeal in bottom of greased 9 … Continue reading Tamale Pie
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients lightly with hands – do not squish or overmix. Pat meat into a loaf form on a greased shallow baking dish. Sprinkle a little more Maggi over the top, and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until cooked through. Note: Carla likes to spread a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste over the top … Continue reading Meatloaf
Carla, age four, at one of the pianos at Tato and Mamcik’s house Carla’s college roommate and lifelong friend Elise didn’t like to cook much but she occasionally found great recipes. This one makes a spicy, tomatoey chili with wonderful flavor. In Dutch oven, sauté garlic, onion and spices in oil and butter. Add green beans, carrots, celery, and tomato juice; cover and cook for … Continue reading Vegetarian Chili
As with many many well-loved and often-made family dishes, ingredients and measurements in Mom’s stews changed every time she made them. There are no measurements given here, because you can make as much or as little as you need, depending on how many people you are feeding for dinner, or how expensive a particular cut of meat is this week. In other words, here is … Continue reading Mom’s Beef Stew
We love both of these versions; we often serve one or the other for family Sunday dinners. Ania’s Version Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. Sauté bell pepper and onion in butter (or olive oil) until tender. Combine pepper, onion, chicken, and jalapeños in bowl and set aside. In the sauté pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter; blend in … Continue reading Chicken Enchiladas
Call it poached or call it boiled; if you can boil water, you can say bye-bye to paying through the beak for prepared grocery store or deli chicken. If you want to make chicken stock, buy a whole chicken and cut it up; if you just want to cook some chicken breasts for salads or entrees, that’s fine too. But for stock or dumplings, you … Continue reading Basic Chicken/Stock/Chicken Salad
Mix cornmeal and milk in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened. Reduce heat and cook for 5 more minutes. Beat in egg, ½ cup cheese, salt and pepper. Pour into 9-inch square pan and chill overnight. When ready to cook, lightly brown sausages. heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut polenta into squares and arrange in bottom of shallow casserole dish or 9 x … Continue reading Polenta with Sausages
We have no idea what the actual spelling is, but this what Mamcik called beef and mushroom crepes. Labor-intensive, but delicious, and a regular request for family birthday celebrations. Continue reading Nalesniki
I wish we had more recipes from the Jewish divisions of our family, given how good Aunt Betty’s brisket is. The pan drippings make magnificent gravy, so we never ever ever serve it without homemade mashed potatoes. Choose only a flat-end brisket for this recipe; put in a roasting pan that has a cover. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Sprinkle black pepper, sliced onion, celery … Continue reading Brisket
The best comfort food ever, and Mom’s favorite meal … with either dumplings or noodles Continue reading Chicken and Dumplings
Around Our Table 