Family Favorites

I got one comment on my last blog post asking for recipes. I am always leery about giving out recipes. It is sort of like recommending movies. There are wide varieties of tastes and skills, so what our family might LOVE, someone else might drop right in the trash can. Our family likes a wide range of foods, we tend to eat quite a bit of curry, Mexican, Thai, and American meat and potatoes. Given that warning here a couple of staples that I can throw together quickly and be relatively confident that everyone will be happy.

Cowboy Rice and Beans

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 c. long grain rice uncooked (I usually use basmati)

3/4 c. plus 2 Tbs water, you can add a shade more if it seems to be dry.

3/4 t. chili powder

1/2 t. salt

1 15 oz. can pinto beans drained

1 11 oz. can tomato juice (tomato soup or tomato sauce will do too)

1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies

Cook meat and onion in large skillet over medium heat until browned. Drain fat. Combine meat, rice, and next 6 ingredients. Stir well. Pour mixture into 3 quart casserole (or 9x13 pan). Cover. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 30 min.

Shredded Roast or Chicken

Cut Roast into four chunks. When I say roast I really mean any inexpensive cut of beef or pork that you could throw in a crock pot. You can use round steaks, or pork steaks or whatever you find on sale. I would recommend boneless cuts of whatever you use. If using chicken use 6-8 breasts, or more if your crock pot will fit them.

1 onion cut in large chunks

2 cloves garlic sliced

garlic salt, shake liberally

2 Tbs chili powder

1/8 cup white vinegar

2 bay leaves

Put all ingredients into crock pot, on low for several hours. When ready to eat, take meat out and shred.

I use this to make meat that can either be served with taco type fixings, or can be used in enchiladas, or tamale pie, or anything that works well with a Mexican theme. Often I will do tacos the first night and use the leftovers in some sort of Mexican casserole for a second meal. It works well on nights when you aren't sure what time everyone will be sitting down to eat.

Pad Thai

1 lb angel hair pasta, cooked to a texture you like. You can use rice noodles if you prefer

peanut oil, for frying and using on noodles

1/4 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. Thai fish sauce

2 Tbs brown sugar

2 large eggs lightly beaten

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 in. chunks

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 lb. medium shrimp peeled and deveined

1/c c. sliced green onions

2 tsp. paprika

2 c. fresh bean sprouts

1/2 c. chopped cilantro, optional

2 Tbs. chopped peanuts

Lime wedges for garnish

This dish is labor intensive at the end, and requires a bit of cooking and tossing in a LARGE bowl.

Place cooked noodles in a Large serving bowl, toss with a bit of oil. Combine 3/4 c. water, soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar in a small bowl, whisk and set aside. Drizzle oil in frying pan, stir fry egg, add to noodles in bowl. Stir fry chicken and garlic in frying pan, when chicken is fully cooked add to noodles. Stir fry shrimp with onion and paprika, when shrimp is pink add to noodles. Pour noodles and all that you have added back into the frying pan (you will need a big frying pan or wok). Pour soy sauce mixture over all and heat through. Pour back into large bowl, toss with bean sprouts, cilantro and peanuts. Serve in large bowls with lime wedges.

I usually serve this with pot stickers, or some kind of Thai salad. The first time I made it I expected my kids to hate it, so I made them mac and cheese. They loved it, and I didn't get any.

These amounts feed all of us, but I am not uptight about my measurements so I may add more here and there. I have found that when I ask friends for recipes that mine is never quite like theirs. I guess that is why cooking is an art. I always prefer to come and watch them cook, then I can see what they really do. Bon appetite.