French Country Vegetable Soup - family favorite

This was in an old illustrated french cookbook for families. Our kids loved this soup while growing up

INGREDIENTS:

7 Tbs butter

1 small white cabbage chopped finely

2 leeks thinly sliced

2 carrots diced

1-2 heads celeriac diced (I use celery)

1 onion finely chopped

1 medium potato diced

6 cups chicken stock

S&P

1/2 baguette in thin slices

1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese

METHOD:

Melt 2 T butter, add cabbage, leeks and onion. Cover and cook over low heat until soft. Add rest of vegetable, pour in chicken stock and add seasonings. Bring to boil and simmer for about 1 hour. Spread butter on baguette slices and toast. Remove 2-3 spoonfulls of veggies, spread on baguette slice, sprinkle with Gruyere and bake 425 for 5-10 minutes until browned. Puree soup, wisk in remaining butter and serve with toasted bread on top.

Nainaimo Bars

We raised our family in Toronto - so these Canadian cookies are a favorite.

Thanks to Taste of Home for this perfect recipe

Of course - I had to double it for our family. I hope that's enough!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
3/4 cup butter, cubed
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped almonds, optional

FILLING:

2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons 2% milk

GLAZE:
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Line an 8-in. square baking pan with foil, letting ends extend over sides by 1 in. In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar and cocoa; add butter. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into eggs. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Cook and stir until mixture reaches 160°. Remove from heat. Stir in cracker crumbs, coconut and, if desired, almonds. Press into prepared pan. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set.

For filling, in a small bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, pudding mix, butter and milk until smooth; spread over crust.

In a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Spread over top. Refrigerate until set. Using foil, lift bars out of pan. Discard foil; cut into bars.

Barbara's Red Cabbage - Instant Pot

We have German heritage. My mom didn't cook often - this was one of her dishes. It's originally form the Betty Crocker Cookbook - now available here.
I modified the instructions to work with Instant Pot

Ingredients

1

medium head red cabbage (1 1/2 lb), thinly sliced

4

slices bacon, diced

1

small onion, sliced

1/4

cup packed brown sugar

1/4

cup water (or chicken stock)

3

tablespoons white vinegar

1/4

teaspoon salt

1/8

teaspoon pepper

I like to add 2 sliced apples

Set Instant Pot to Saute and cook bacon. Add onion and cook for a few minutes. Add all other ingredients.

Set Manual pressure to 10 minutes

Waikiki Meatballs

An old family favorite - from Allrecipes

Waikiki Meatballs

• Prep
  20 m
• Cook
  25 m
• Ready In
  45 m

Recipe By:CMAYBELL

"Beef meatballs flavored with ground ginger, simmered in a sweet pineapple sauce."

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2/3 cup crushed saltine cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup minced onion
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks - drained, with juice reserved
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, cracker crumbs, onion, egg, milk, ginger and salt. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into meatballs.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place meatballs in skillet and cook until evenly brown, and meat is no longer pink. Drain excess fat.
3. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, brown sugar, reserved pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Mix until smooth, then pour into the skillet with meatballs. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green pepper and pineapple chunks. Heat through.

Spaghetti Marco Polo

I'm not exactly recommending this recipe. I think I found it watching Mr Roger's Neighborhood with the kids when they were tiny.  I made it for them sometimes and we liked it. It's a bit of an odd recipe, but one with family memories.

I actually found a link to the recipe online.

• 1lb spaghetti
• 2tablespoons butter
• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 1teaspoon salt
• black pepper
• 1(6 ounce) can tuna packed in oil, flaked, undrained
• 2tablespoons pimiento, diced or 2 tablespoons roasted red peppers, sliced into strips
• 2tablespoons green onions with tops, sliced
• 2tablespoons black olives, sliced
• 2tablespoons walnuts, chopped
•  1⁄3 cup swiss cheese, shredded
• 2tablespoons fresh parsley or 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Drain pasta and return to pot, stirring in butter, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
3. Toss with remaining ingredients and serve, garnished with parsley or cilantro.

Grandma Schultz's Chili Sauce

My grandma Schultz didn't cook much - my grandfather did most if it. So I'm not quite sure why this is her chili sauce recipe. Maybe it came through her parents.

It's really good! We love it with pot roast and meat loaf, and on sandwiches.

Ingredients:
1 peck ripe tomatoes
10 medium onions
2 cups celery or 2 Tbs celery seed
4 red peppers (seeds removed)
2 green peppers (seeds removed)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup mustard seeds
1/4 cup salt (to taste - I only put in about 1/8 cup))
2 cups apple cider vinegar
(I like to add a couple of shopped pears or peaches - to add flavor)

Spices:
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground cloves

1. Scald, peel and chop tomatoes and put to drain. Do not use the juice.
2. Chop or coarsely grind the other vegetables.
3. Add spices.
4. When tomatoes are drained, put all ingredients in large cooker (pot) and cook 2 hours until fairly thick. Stir often to prevent sticking.
5. Put in hot sterilized jars. (I process the jars full of chili sauce for 20 mins - just to be sure).

Nellie Flint's Cocoa Marshmallow Cookies

I loved visiting my Grandparents' farm in Greencastle Indiana during holidays and summers - and I was so happy when Grandma Flint had her homemade pecan pie - or these cookies!

Grandma Flint’s Cocoa Marshmallow Cookies

1 ¾  cups flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

½ cup cocoa

½ cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

¼ cup milk

18 marshmallows cut in halves

½ cup pecans (optional)

Sift together flour, salt, soda, and cocoa. Cream shortening and sugar, add Egg, vanilla and milk, beating well. Add dry ingredients and mix.

Drop by spoonfuls unto greased baking sheet. Bake in 350 oven 8 minutes (don’t overbake).

Remove from oven and press ½ marshmallow cut side down on each cookie. Bake 2 minutes longer.

Cool, top with cocoa frosting, then press on a pecan half.

Makes 36-40 cookies

Cocoa Frosting

Combine 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar, 5 Tbs cocoa, and 1/8 tsp salt. Add 5 Tbs softened butter and 4-5 Tbs light cream.

If you don’t ice the cookies, bake the full 10 mins

Great Grandma Schultz's Chili Sauce

This recipe is a memory for me. My grandpa (Clyde) Schultz must have made this chili sauce occasionally because I remember loving it with pot roast and meat loaf at his house. I just can't visualize my grandma (Isabelle) canning. I lost the recipe for a while but just found it - so it's now part of Robison Yum for the generations.

1 peck ripe tomatoes (about 17 baseball sized)
10 medium onions
2 cups celery or 2 TBS celery seed
4 red peppers
3 green peppers
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup mustard seed
1/2 cup salt (this sounds like a lot so do it to taste)

Scald, peel, and chop tomatoes and drain. Do not use the juice.
Chop or grind remaining vegetables.
Add the following spices

2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cups apple cider vinegar

When tomatoes are drained, put all together in a large pot and cook 2 hours or until fairly thick. Stir frequently to keep from sticking.

Put in hot sterilized jars and process in canner for 20 minutes.

Diane's Dad's dill pickles

This is my Dad's recipe. He was a great cook :)

There's two ways to make these dills - keep them fresh and in the refrigerator or can and seal them to store in you pantry. These are very salty - but totally addictive after then cure for a day or two. My family is obsessed! I've been making them for 30 years.

FRESH PICKLES

Put the following into a large glass jar or bowl:

- 5-10 sliced cucumbers (I cut them lengthwise). This totally depends on the cucumber size. You just need to brine to cover them all

- 3-4 cloves garlic (sliced)

- a few pieces of hot pepper or pinch of pepper flakes
- dry or fresh dill stalks or seeds

Brine: Bring the following to a boil:

1 1/3 cups vinegar

1 quart water

1/3 cup salt

Pour over cucumbers. Cool and store in refrigerator.

To can and seal:

Bring the brine to a boil.

Clean jars and lids. I prefer wide mouth for ease of filling.

Pack each jar with sliced cucumbers, 1 clove garlic, 1 small piece of hot pepper and head of dill or 1/2 tsp dill seeds.

Ladle hot brine into jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Wipe rims clean, seal tightly with lids. Process 15 minutes for quarts and 10 minutes for pints in boiling water bath. Check your canner instructions for details.