May Food Co-op

I ordered the Harvest share ($14), the grill sampler pack ($13), sourdough loaf ($1.50), and the nutty guys sampler ($11.50). So everything in the picture came to $40.

Grill sampler pack

2 6 oz sirloin steaks

2 chicken breasts

4 5oz center cut pork chops

1 lb ground beef

Nutty guys sampler

1 lb dried banana chips

1 lb raw almonds

1 lb cashews

1 lb dried pineapple rings

Harvest share

5 lb bag of potatoes

16 oz rice

2 16 oz bags of mini carrots

6 fuji apples

6 pears

6 navel oranges

1 bunch of broccoli

3 artichokes

1 bunch of green onions

2 bunches romaine lettuce

loaf of Stone Grounds wheat bread

http://www.crossroads-u-c.org/cfc/the_basics/how_to_join.html

Baked Spaghetti

I noticed this recipe on a friend's blog the other day and finally got around to making it.

I thought it was quite good considering I'm not a fan of sauce made from canned diced tomatoes. I actually kept some of the leftovers for lunch instead of donating all the leftovers to our neighbors so that tells you I thought it was good. Now for the rest of the family, dh didn't like it. Why? I don't like dull red sauce with my pasta. I only like red sauce. Okay, fine, whatever. The kids: Nathan didn't like the pieces in his noodles (where's the head banging smilie?) and gagged on the noodles. Zachary refused to eat it until he realized he could get a donut from Grandpa. So the kid who took his first bite and said yucky ended up eating half his plate. Noah took one look and said yuck. I couldn't convince him to try it. He even was willing to forgo a donut to avoid eating the dish. Grandpa thought it tasted good. Of course like always he had ways he'd change it but overall he liked it.

Give this recipe a try. It does taste great, no matter what my husband and kids think.

http://kaysvillemomma.blogspot.com/2008/05/baked-spaghetti.html

½ cup chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 (28 oz.) can diced, peeled tomato with Italian spices

1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms, drained

1 can sliced olives, drained

12 oz. spaghetti, cooked

2 cups shredded cheddar

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

¼ cup milk

Preparation:In large skillet, sauté onion and garlic in a small amount of butter until tender. Add tomatoes (with juice), mushrooms and olives. Simmer uncovered for a couple of minutes. Place ½ of cooked spaghetti into a greased 9x13-in. baking pan. Top with ½ sauce, then ½ cheese. Repeat layers 1 more time. Combine soup with milk and pour over top; sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Meat Loaf

This is my all time favorite meat loaf recipe. The flavors are just so good together. I can also get the kids to eat this meat loaf. I always make extra of the sauce to pour over the hot slices.

2 pounds ground beef

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions (about 1 medium)

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup spicy brown mustard

3/4 cup dried bread crumbs

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon coarse-ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

5 slices bacon

Make the meat loaf: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place beef, onions, red and green peppers, 1/4 cup ketchup, mustard, bread crumbs, eggs, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire, salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme in a large bowl and toss gently with your hands. Be careful not to overmix -- it should be soft but hold its shape. Transfer meat to a baking pan, shape into a 10- by 5-inch loaf, and set aside. Combine remaining ketchup, Worcestershire, and brown sugar in a small bowl and stir until combined. Brush the meat loaf with 3 tablespoons of the ketchup mixture. Place the bacon width-wise over the top of the meat loaf and cover with remaining glaze. Bake for 15 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake until an internal temperature of 160 degrees F is reached -- about 40 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow the meat loaf to rest for 15 minutes before serving. Slice into 1 1/4-inch-thick pieces and serve warm.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I love homemade chicken noodle soup. The stuff from a can just doesn't compare. This is a recipe that varies each time I make it so its not an exact recipe.

Take the chicken and bones from the roasting chicken and place in a stock pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for several hours until the meat falls off the bone. You may need to keep adding water to keep the chicken covered. Remove the bones and if you want refrigerate overnight to remove fat.

To the stock:

add carrots (I used 4 cut in about half inch slices), celery (I used about 6 ribs), and one onion chopped. Cook until the vegetables are tender.

Cook egg noodles (or whatever noodles you like) according to package directions. Add cooked noodles to soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add fresh chopped parsley.

Roasted Chicken

This is a favorite in our house. Mainly because the next day we always have chicken noodle soup. This is just a basic recipe and I do nothing fancy with it.

1 roasting chicken, rinsed and patted dried

sprinkle garlic salt and pepper

pour one stick of melted butter over the chicken

Place in oven at 375 degrees. Cook for 20 minutes per pound. I don't cover my chicken because I like a really crisp chicken. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.

Potato salad and Macaroni salad

For our Memorial Day cook out I made two salads, a pasta and potato salad. Both were tasty and both are recipes I'd try again. I doubled the potato salad and it was a little runnier than I wanted but I may have not used the correct amount of potato's for the salad.

Laura’s Potato Salad

http://realmomkitchen.blogspot.com/search/label/salad

1 cup mayo

1 cup hard boiled eggs (about 4 eggs)

1/8 cup sweet relish

¾ tsp. yellow mustard

1/8 cup green onion, diced

¾ tsp salt1 Tbsp sugar

2 ½ pounds baked, peeled (approx 5 large) or peel and boil potatoes for approx 20 min

Bacon bits, if desired (can cook bacon and make bits or use Hormel real bacon bits)

Mix mayo, relish, mustard, salt and sugar. Then add potatoes, green onion, egg. Combine and refrigerate. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Mix in bacon just before serving.

Cool and Creamy Macaroni Salad

from Cooks Country magazine
Table salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
1/2 small red onion, minced
1 rib celery , minced
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
Ground black pepper
1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and macaroni and cook until nearly tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in colander and rinse with cold water until cool, then drain briefly so that macaroni remains moist. Transfer to large bowl.
2. Stir in onion, celery, parsley, lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder, and cayenne, and let sit until flavors are absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add mayonnaise and let sit until salad texture is no longer watery, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. (The salad can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Check consistency and seasonings before serving.)

Grandma Gadd's cinnamon rolls

I asked my grandmother for this recipe about 15 years ago, not long before she died. I then somehow misplaced it and had given up hope of ever finding it again. Well two days ago I found the recipe and of course had to make it as soon as I found it. I have to say the taste was even better than I remember, granted the last time I ever ate the ones grandmother made was around 1992. I made her frosting and I made some with the cream cheese frosting that I prefer. However I have to say her frosting tasted much better today to me. Maybe because its been so long since I've had them or if its more suited for her recipe. The top roll in the picture is made with grandma's glaze and the washed out one is the cream cheese glaze which for some reason in 20 pictures was always washed out. So here is her recipe for cinnamon rolls, I made 41 rolls with this recipe:

5 1/2-6 cups flour

2 packages of yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 cup water (wam water)

1/4 cup softened butter

2 eggs

Combine all and knead for about 10 minutes. Cover and let rise until double.

Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Spread melted butter over the entire dough. Sprinkle between 3/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups sugar over the butter. Then sprinkle about 1 tablespoon cinnamon over the sugar. Start at one end and roll tightly. Once the dough has been rolled cut into slices, the thickness depending on how big and thick you want your rolls. Cover and let rise until about double in size.

Cook at 350 for about 15 minutes. Time depends on the size and thickness so keep an eye on them. While still hot from the oven ice with the following glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 teaspoon maple flavor

3 to 4 tablespoons coffee

Chinese chicken salad

So I had a craving for this dish. My friend makes an excellent salad but I couldn't get ahold of her to get her recipe so I searched the internet. I found none that matched what I remembered her having in her salad so I decided to make my own recipe. I combine about 10 different recipes into one for our salad. Zachary ate it and loved it. Nathan only wanted spinach with no dressing and Noah well as usual he didn't eat.

Salad dressing:

1/4 cup mayo

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon mustard

1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/8 teaspoon sesame seed oil

Mix throughly.

Salad:

Melt 1/4 cup butter, package of ramen noodles (not cooked) and about 1/4 cup chopped almonds. Cook until almonds and noodles are brown then add the seasoning packet from the noodles. Set aside.

Chop about 3 cups cabbage and mix with about 3 cups spinach. Add a cup of snap peas and sliced green onions (I did about 8). Mix together and set aside.

Chop cooked chicken, I used some breaded chicken pieces from the freezer, to the salad greens. Add the ramen noodle mixure and the dressing. Toss and serve.

Divine Breadsticks

Another recipe from one of my new favorite blogs. These were quite tasty and everyone loved them. There were no leftovers of these.

http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2007/12/divine-breadsticks.html

1 ½ cup warm water

1 tablespoon yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

3 ½ cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

Butter for the pan

Mix all ingredients (except butter) and knead for three minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Melt desired amount of butter on baking pan (the original recipe called for 1 entire stick of butter - that was way too much for my taste - I use a couple tablespoons). Roll out dough about 1/8-inch thick and cut into strips. Place in butter and put close together. Sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan cheese. Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Favorite Ground beef and beans

I found this recipe in the Pillsbury Hamburger magazine that I noticed at the grocery store last month. Normally I don't pick up magazines like this one but I was participating in a pantry challenge last month and I have tons of ground beef to use up so I thought this might give me a few ideas.

The dish was quite tasty although I didn't make it 100% to the recipe. I subbed a can of chili beans for the kidney beans since I was out of canned kidney beans and didn't have time to make dried beans. I also didn't have a full bottle of chili sauce but it was about 3/4 full. I also didn't have any green chilies (I don't remember using the last can of those) so I think it was missing a flavor. It tasted pretty good and was a different change of pace for us. I think I'll try it again with the green chilies to see if it makes any difference in the flavor. Overall it was one we liked but I'm not sure if or when I'd make it again.

2 lb ground beef

1 large onion chopped

1 28 oz can baked beans, undrained

1 15 oz can butter beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 12 oz bottle chili sauce

2 4.5 oz cans chopped green chilis

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 teaspoons chili powder

shredded cheddar cheese if desired

Cook ground beef and onion over medium high heat until beef is cooked. drain.in a slow cooker mix cooked ground beef mixture and remaining ingedients except cheese.cover, cook on low heat 4 hours.serve with cheddar cheese

Greek tortellini salad

Here is an original recipe. I've seen so many recipes for Greek tortellini salad and so many had a few of the items I wanted in my salad but not all so I combined about 10 recipes into one. This was actually a very tasty salad and one I plan on making again. Honeslty this would be a great main dish on a hot summer day or a side dish anytime.

1 package refrigerator cheese tortellini- cooked according to package directions, drained and rinsed

1 cucumber- peeled, seeded, and cut into half moon pieces

1 yellow bell pepper (you could use whatever bell pepper you have on hand) cut into pieces

1 red onion, sliced thinly and cut into bite size pieces

about 1 cup of kalamata olives

about 2 cups of spinach leaves

Salad dressing:

1/2 cup evvo

1/2 cup vinegar ( I used red wine but white or white wine would work)

about 1 tablespoon of sugar

basil, to taste

oregano, to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all and mix well.

Mix all the vegetables and tortellini with the salad dressing. Refrigerate for at least two hours and serve.