Thursday, September 29, 2011

Mini Cheesecakes

48 (or more) vanilla wafers
3 lbs. softened cream cheese
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 TB. vanilla
6 eggs
2 (16oz) cans cherry pie filling (opt)

Preheat oven to 325*

1. Line muffin tins with mini foil liners.  Place one vanilla wafer in each liner, flat side down.
2. Mix cream cheese, vanilla and sugar on med. speed until blended well.
3.  Add eggs.  Beat until well mixed.
4. Pour scant 1/4 c. batter over wafers (fill liners about 3/4 full)
5. Bake 25 minutes.
6.  Cool completely. 

Options:  Can cover tightly and freeze.
Before serving, spread with cherry pie filling.

This makes A LOT.  Cut recipe in half.

Chicken and Rice Divan

1 1/2 c. long-grain rice
3 c. water
Salt to taste
1 1/2lbs. broccoli spears, lightly steamed
3 cans cream of chicken soup
1 c. mayonaise
4-6 chicken breasts, cooked
1 tsp. curry
1/4 c. lemon juice
Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven 350*
2.  Cook rice in the 3 cups of water and salt.  Spread in bottom of greased baking dish.
3. Make sauce by mixing the soup, mayo, curry, and lemon juice.  Place a thin layer of sauce over the rice and poke in.
4. Arrange broccoli spears on top of rice.  Spread with a thin layer of sauce.
5. Arrange chicken on top of broccoli.  Spread with remainer of sauce. 
6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. *Can also top with buttered bread crumbs, sprinkled with parmesan and/or cheddar cheese.
7. Bake in 350* oven for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly with a lightly browned top. 

Sticky Chicken

Yum, yum, YUMMMM!!  We love this!

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. honey
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 c. prepared mustard (start with 1/4 c. and add to taste)
3 lbs. chicken, cut up (*I use chicken breast or chicken tenderloins..lots!)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 375*.
2. Melt butter, honey, salt, curry powder, mustard and garlic. 
3. Place chicken in a baking dish and pour sauce over it. 
4. Bake, uncovered for 1 hour.  Turn at least once and baste often.
5. Chicken should be glazed.

We eat this on top of rice.

O'Henry Bars

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. brcown sugar
1/4 c. white corn syrup
1 1/2 C. quick oatmeal
1/2 c. flour
3-5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. crunchy peanut butter

1. Melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup.
2. Add oatmeal and flour.
3. Put in a greased 9X 13 inch pan.
4. Bake at 350* for 15 minutes.
5. Melt chocolate chips; add peanut butter.  Stir and mix well.
6. Spread over top of baked crust (while warm). Store in fridge.

*This recipe has been cut in half. 

Tortilla Roll-ups

24 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. sour cream
Juice of 1 lime
10 green onions, sliced
1 jar picante sauce, divided
1 pkg. large flour tortillas
Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can black olives, sliced

1. Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, lime juice and 1 TB. picante sauce.  Spread on tortillas.
2. Sprinkle with cheese, green onions, and black olives.  Roll tightly. 
3.  Wrap tortillas in plastic wrap and refrigerate for four hours.  Cut into 1/2 to 1 inch slices.
4. Serve with picante sauce.

Mock Taffy Apple Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into eights
Dry roasted peanuts, chopped

1. Cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla together. 
2. Dip apples into creamed mixture, then into peanuts.
3.  Eat immediately!

Candied Popcorn

10 c. popped popcorn
1 c. sugar
1 c. corn syrup
1 sm. pkg jello (any red flavor)

1. Bring sugar and corn syrup to boil.
2. Add jello. 
3. Pour over popped popcorn.
4. Stir well to mix.

Caramel Popcorn

8 c. popped popcorn (1/2 c. unpopped)
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. water
1 tsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. butter or margarine

1. Measure popped popcorn into a large bowl. 
2. Combine sugars, corn syrup, water, vinegar and salt in a 2 qt. saucepan.  Heat to boiling over med. heat, stirring frequently, until 260* on a candy thermometer.
3. Reduce heat to low; stir in butter until melted.
4. Pour caramel syrup in a thin stream over popcorn in bowl, stirring until popcorn is well coated.

Cowboy Spaghetti

This was strangely fulfilling and good and fattening!  :)  I omitted some of the meat.

1 pkg. spaghetti noodles
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
s&p, to taste
2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 TB. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 lb deli pastrami, roughly chopped (I omitted)
1/3 c. pepporoni, chopped
2 TB. canned jalepenos, chopped
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms (i omitted)
1 small can diced olives
1/2 c. beef broth (or 1 bouillon cube with 1/2 c. water)
1 (14 oz) can fired roasted diced tomatoes (didn't have, so I used regular diced tomatoes)
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
green onions, chopped

1. Heat a large deep skillet to med-high heat.  Add bacon and fry until crisp.  Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
2.  In the same skillet, add ground beef.  When browned, add onions and garliic.  Season with salt and pepper, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce.  Stir in bacon, pastrami, pepperoni, jalapeno, mushroom and olives.  Cook.  Stirring occassionally for about 5 minutes.
3.  Add beef broth and cook an additional 5 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Cover and reduce heat to low.  (At this point you can put all of this into a crockpot andcook on low a few hours.  If it gets too thick, add another can of fire roasted tomatoes and broth.
4.  Prepare noodles.  Drain well and add to meat sauce.
5. Toss well and serve with cheese and green onions on top.

Stroganoff

This is SO easy!

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion

Season well.  Brown and drain.

1 (10oz) can cream of mushroom soup
2-4 TB. sour cream (add more if needed)
s&p

1/2 to 1 pkg. egg noodles, cooked

1.  Mix beef mixture with soup and sour cream.   Season with salt and pepper.
2.  Serve over noodles. 

Bowtie and Asparagus Pasta

We loved this!  NOT healthy, but oh so good :)

1 pkg. bow tie pasta
1/2 c. butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1-2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 pint heavy cream
s&p to taste
10-15 spears asparagus, blanched *see note
1/2 c bacon, crumbled
1/2 c. toasted pinenuts (I omitted this)

Parmesan cheese to taste

1.  Boil pasta; al dente. DO NOT OVERCOOK
2.  I n a heavy pot melt butter.  Add garlic and saute a minute or so
3. Add parmesan cheese and bouillon cubes.  When it is completely dissolved, slowly stir in the cream and s&p. 
4.  Add cooked pasta to cream sauce and toss until pasta is well covered.  Add asparagus.
5. Sprinkle with bacon.
6. Serve immediately



*Heat a pot of water to boil.  Break the bottoms off of the asparagus and put in pot.  Cook until the asparagus turns bright green (anywhere from 3-5 minutes)
**We have added chicken to this.

Found:  Favorite family recipes

Fajita Bowls

1 lb. steak or chicken
1 can diced green chilies
2 cloves garlic
1/2 c. beef broth
1 pkg. fajita seasoning, divided (*see below)
2 TB. vegetable oil or EVOO
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly slice
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly slice
1 pkg Spanish rice
1 can beans, drained and rinsed (I used black beans)
Flour tortillas

optional:
avocado and cheese

1. Slice meat into thin strips.  Place meat, chilies, garlic, broth, 1 TB fajita seasoning in a large plastic Ziploc bag. (Press air out) Marinade for 1 hour
2. Heat oil in a large skillet.  Drain some of the marinade and add the steak to the skillet.
3. Stir-fry until brown and cooked through.  Stir in remaining fajita mix. Add onion and peppers.
4. Prepare Spanish rice.  Add beans and stir together with rice until hot.

To prepare bowls:
Place tortilla inside the bowl.
On top put the rice/bean mixture to bowl.
Then add meat/peppers/onions.
Top with sliced avocado and/or cheese

*Fajita seasoning

Shepherd's Pie

1lb. ground beef
1 med. onion, chopped
1 (10oz) can cream of mushroom soup
2 TB. ketchup
1/8 tsp salt and pepper, each
1 c. frozen peas and carrots

1 C. milk
2 TB. butter
1 1/3 c. instant mashed potatoes or make them from scratch (*see below)

1/2 to 1 c. cheddar cheese

PREHEAT OVEN to 400*
1.  Cook beef and onion, drain.
2. Stir soup, ketchup, black pepper/salt, peas and carrots into skillet. Spoon mixture into a 9 inch pie plate (or small square pyrex)
3. Heat milk and butter in 2 qt. saucepan.  Remove from heat and slowly stir in instant potatoes.  (omit if you made your own potatoes)
4.  Spoon potatoes over beef mixture.
5. Sprinkle cheese on top
6.  Bake at 400* for 15 minutes or until ptoatoes are lightly browned.   


*Homemade potatoes:
Peel 4-5 medium potatoes (they fit into a 9 inch pie tin)
Cut the potatoes in to cubes
Bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove.  Put potatoes in and cook until they are fork tender.  Drain.  Add milk, s&p and mix until fluffy.

Alfredo Mostaccioli

1 (16oz) pkg mostaccioli or penne pasta
1 c. heavy cream *(I didn't have, so I substituted*see below)
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 c. chopped fresh parsley (I used:  dried parsley..use MUCH less)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder

1. Cook pasta according to box; al dente
2.  Combine heavy cream and butter in a dutch oven or a large, heavy saucepan over med. heat.  Heat until butter melts, stirring occassionally.  DO NOT BOIL!
3. Stir in parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 
4. Toss with cooked pasta and serve immediately.



*Note:  Heavy cream substitute:
-Mix 3/4 c. milk and 1/3 c. of unsalted butter (NOT MARGARINE)
or
-Mix skim milk and some flour or cornstarch.

**For a heartier dinner, add cooked chicken.

Found:  http://allrecipes.com

Taco Time's Crisp Bean Burritos

Never been to Taco Time?  You are missing out.  These are pretty dang close to how the real thing taste!

1/2 c. oil
5 soft flour tortilla shells
1 c. refried beans + salsa (to add flavor)
1/4 c. cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400*.
2. Heat oil in a skillet.  Spread about 2-3 TB of refried beans on each tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, roll up.
3.  Fry in oil for about 15 seconds on each side.  Place on baking sheet and put in oven.
4.  Cook for 5-7 minutes

Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole or enchilada sauce.

We don't even dip in anything, they are that good.

*Spencer approved aka picky eater

Beef Chimichangas

Super simple, but pretty good!

Makes: 8
Prep time: 15 min.
Cook time: 25 min.

1  lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. taco seasoning mix
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/3 c. sour cream
1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies
2 TB white vinegar
1-2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 c. margarine
8 (7 inch) corn tortillas (I used:  flour tortillas)


1. Preheat oven to 450*
2. Brown the ground beef, onion, garlic, taco seasoning, and oregano in a skillet over med. heat.  (Break up the meat) Drain excess fat.  Stir in sour cream, chilies and vinegar until well mixed.  Remove from heat and mix in Cheddar cheese.
3.  Melt margarine in a small skillet over low heat.  When melted, dip each tortilla into the margarine for about 30 seconds or until soft.  Place the softened tortilla onto a bakcin sheet, and fill with about 1/3 c. of the meat mixture.  Fold the right and left sides of the tortilla over the filling, then the top and bottom, making an envelope that completely encloses the filling.  Flip the tortilla seam side down on baking sheet. 
4.  Bake in oven until the tortillas are crisp abt 15 minutes.

*I haven't tried, but I bet you could sub. chicken instead.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

I really liked these.  A lot.

1/2 c. water
1/2 c. instant brown rice
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 lb Ground beef
1 TB. minced fresh ginger (I used:  dried ginger)

1/2 c. chicken broth (I used: 1 boullion cube ( and 1/2 c. water)
2 TB. hoisin sauce **Below**
1 tsp. five-spice powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 heads boston lettuce, leaves separated (I used: romaine)

1 large carrot, shredded

1. Bring water to boil.  Add rice, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Removed from heat.
2. In another pan, heat oil.  Add chicken and ginger.  Cook until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.  Shred.  Stir in the cooked rice, bell pepper, water chestnuts, broth, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder and salt.  Cook until heated through.
3.  To serve, spoon portions of the chicken mixture into lettuce leaves, top with heabs and carrot and roll into wraps.

**Hoisin Sauce:
4 TB. soy sauce
1 TB. peanut butter (or black bean paste)
1/2 TB. molasses (or honey)
1 tsp. white wine vinegar (i omitted this)
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. sesame oil
10 drops hot sauce
1/8 tsp. black pepper
I added a bit of brown sugar to make it a bit sweet.

WINGER'S Sticky Fingers and Freakin' Amazing Sauce

I am so glad that I found this!  If you have never been to Winger's, you are missing out.

For the sauce: (covers about 8 sticky fingers)
3 TB. Franks Hot Sauce **It HAS to be Franks)
3/4 C. Brown sugar
2 TB. water

Heat ingredients in a pan until all the sugar dissolves (you may want to double the recipe)
*Mix with a little bit of Ranch to make their creamy amazing dressing. 

Sticky Fingers:
1 c. oil
1 pkg. frozen breaded chicken fingers

In a frying pan, heat oil and cook chicken fingers until crispy and warm.  Pour sauce over chicken.
(Or put them in a tupperware and shake it up until the chicken is completely covered.)

Serve with Ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Found:  http://favfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com

BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

These were a hit.  We had them tonight when the missionaries came over.

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced into half moons
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, fresh or frozen *
1 c. Ketchup
2 TB. apple cidar vinegar  (I used: 2 TB. red wine vinegar and 1 TB. water)
1 TB. Dijon mustard (I used: plain yellow mustard)
2 TB. molasses
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
Whole wheat buns, rolls or on the French Bread rolls.

Place the onions on the bottom of a slow cooker.  Place chicken on top. 
In a medium bowl, mix ketchup, vinegar, mustard, molasses, onion powder, cumin, garlic powder , Tabasco and salt.
Pour over the chicken.  Cover and cook on low until chicken is fork-tender and the **sauce has thickened slightly (Abt. 5-6 hours).

Remove chicken and shred meat.  Return it back to slow cooker, mixing with sauce.  Serve the chicken hot on rolls.


*I used a bunch of frozen chicken tenderloins. 
**I noticed that the sauce didn't thicken much, until I had shredded the chicken.

French Bread Rolls

I'm not very good at bread and yeast, but I have gotten a ton better the past few months.  Once I got over being scared of yeast, rolls and pizza dough and bread have been a lot better!

I made these tonight when the missionaries came for dinner.  I made a few mess ups, like the 2nd rise...instead of 45 minutes, I let them go for about 2 hours!  Yikes! 

Prep:  1 hour for first rise, 45 minutes for 2nd rise

1 1/2 cups warm water
3/4 TB. instant yeast (or 1 TB. active dry yeast)**Read note below**
2 TB. granulate sugar
2 TB. canola oil (I used vegetable oil)
1 tsp. salt
4 C. all purpose flour, give or take a few tablespoons

**NOTE**If you are using active dry yeast instead of instant years, let the yeast proof in the warm water and sugar for about 3-5 minutes until it is foamy before adding the oil, salt & flour.

Combine the warm water, yeast, sugar, oil, salt & 2 cups of the flour.**

Begin mixing and continue to add the rest of the flour gradually until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl.  Please note that you shouldn't just add all of the flour the recipe calls for, judge it by how the dough feels.  The dough should be soft and smooth, but still slightly tacky to the touch.

Knead the dough by hand (8-10 minutes) or in a stand mixer (5 minutes).  Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl.  Cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap.  Let the dough rise until it has doubled (about an hour)

Lightly punch the dough down and pour onto a lightly greased countertop. (I just used cooking spray).  Divide the dough in to 12 equal pieces (*I used a food scale and measured 2.1oz for each one)and form into round balls.  This is the best tutorial I have EVER seen for forming round balls

Place the rolls on lightly greased baking sheet about an inch or two apart.

Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap taking care not to pin the plastic wrap under the baking sheet or else the rolls will flatten while rising (like mine did-oops!).  Let the plastic wrap gently hang over the sides of the pan to fully cover the rolls, but not press them down.  Let the rolls rise until double, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400*.  Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.

*After 12 minutes I noticed that the rolls were still white.  I beat and egg white and put it on top.  I put them back in for another 3-5 minutes, watching carefully. 

THESE WERE A HIT!  We served them with BBQ Pulled Chicken.  The family and missionaries really liked them!


Found: http://melskitchencafe.com






Favorite Sloppy Joes

It's hard to find some good staple recipes (meatloaf, sloppy joes, etc), but these are good!
This is my own twist on sloppy joes, so let me know what you think!

1lb ground beef
1/4 c. onion

Brown and drain.

Mix in:
1 C. ketchup
1 (8oz) cans of tomato sauce (I have added an extra can to make it go further, BUT it changes the taste)
1/2 TB. vinegar
2 dashes of Worcestershire
1 tsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3 tsp. brown sugar
s&p

Simmer.  Serve over toasted hamburger buns.

*Make sure that you give these enough time to simmer and mix flavors.  Nothing tastes worse than having sloppy joes that haven't blended!

Waffles

These are our favorite waffles.

4 C. flour
2 tsp. salt
8 tsp. baking powder
8 TB. sugar

Mix dry ingredients.

4 eggs
3 C. warm milk
2/3 c. butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix wet ingredients.

Mix dry and wet together.
Use about 1/4 to 1/2 c. of mixture to the waffle griddle.  Cook about 5 minutes.

Baked Zucchini

*Disclaimer:  I haven't tried these yet, but they look AWESOME!

4-5 small zucchini spears, cut on an angle
2 eggs
1-2 TB. milk
1 C. italian-style bread crumbs
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
s&p to taste
butter or cooking spray

1.  Preheat oven to 425*.
2.  Line a baking sheet with cooking spray. 
3.  Combine eggs and milk in a bowl. 
4.  In a separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and s&p.
5.  Place zucchini on baking sheet, spray the top of each with cooking/butter spray and then bake for 10-12 minutes. 

*for extra crisp, turn the oven to broil and cook for about 30-45 seconds longer or until golder.
Remove from oven and serve hot with ranch dressing or marinara/pizza sauce for dipping.

Seven Layer Taco Dip

1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 can (16oz) refried beans
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 (16 oz) sour cream
1 (16oz) jar salsa
1 large tomato, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped *optional
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 small head of iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 (6oz) black olives, drained and sliced
2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning with refried beans.  Spread the mixture into a large serving platter.
2. Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl.  Spread over the refried beans.
3. Top with salsa.  Place a layer of tomato, green bell peppers, green onions and lettuce.
4.  Top with cheddar cheese.
5. Garnish with black olives.

Serve with chips.

Sauerkraut

I love sauerkraut.  I don't think there are many things in the world that are better than some good sauerkraut.  I am so lucky that I am German :)

My aunt sent this to me..THANK YOU AUNT EVA!

1 jar of sauerkraut (not in a can..has too much of a tin taste)
1/2 lb +/- bacon (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)

1. Take the sauerkraut and rinse it. If you like the 'sauer' taste, then don't rinse too well. Put it in a pot, cover with water sprinkle with salt and boil for 20 minutes.
2. While it is cooking, take the bacon and fry it up. When it is about 2/3 done, take the onions and add. Cook until they are translucent. You don't want the bacon to be too crunchy.
3. After the kraut is done, drain.
4. Add the bacon/onion mixture and mix well.

We made this tonight and i wish that I hadn't rinsed it at all. I love a strong sauerkraut taste and even though this was really good, it was a bit bland. Next time, next time!

Lasagna Roll ups

These are quickly becoming a family favorite (minus child #2.  he won't eat anything with red sauce!)
Another bonus:  you can freeze them!

There are so many variations of these, but I usually take the easy way out and use premade spaghetti sauce...so sue me!  :) If you want something more in depth..scroll to the bottom

9-10 Lasagna noodles
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
2 c. Cottage cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese
1 Egg (lightly beaten)
2 c. shredded mozarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375*
2. Cook the noodles.
3.  Warm up spaghetti sauce
4.  Mix cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and egg together.
5. Spread a small amount of the spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the pan.  (Trust me.  Do this step!)


Spread cheese mixture evenly over each lasagna noodle.
Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. 
Top with remaining sauce.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.  Abt. 5 minutes before the dish is finished sprinkle top with mozarella cheese.

Return and finish cooking, until cheese has melted.

**You can freeze these!








Sauce:
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 c. spaghetti sauce

Filling:
2 c. cottage cheese
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 TB. parsley
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
s&p to taste

9 lasagna noodles, cooked
2 c. mozarella cheese, shredded

*Found at Favorite Family Recipes

Easy Chalupas

Corn tortillas or homemade tortillas (found here)
Refried beans (add some seasoning ie. taco seasoning, garlic powder, etc)
1 lb of ground beef cooked with onion, garlic and taco seasoning (optional)
Chopped tomatoes
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheese
Other toppings:  guacamole, avocado, sour cream, chopped onions, etc

1. Heat refried beans and season.
2. Warm tortillas.
3. Top tortillas with beans, meat and other toppings. 

*You can do these meatless

*Found:  http://www.quick-and-easy-dinner.com/easy-chalupas.html




Flour Tortilla Recipe

I'll be honest...I was feeling adventurous one day and made some flour tortillas.  From scratch.  That is a pretty big deal for me.  I love buying the easy to access tortillas..so easy.

BUT with that said, I will say that these were incredibly easy and tasted pretty good!

3 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4-6 TB.  shortening or lard
approx.  1 1/4 c. warm water

1. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Add shortening.  Use a fork or pastry cutter to cut in the shortening or just use your hands.
3. Next, add warm water a little at a time until your dough is soft and sticky.  The water doesn't need to be very hot.
4. Knead the dough for a few minutes.
5.  Pull off pieces of dough to form about 12 small dough balls.  Let them rest for 10 minutes or longer.
6. Start to heat up griddle.  I used a cast iron pan (worked awesome).  Set the temp at medium to high heat.  Be careful that it isn't too hot or the tortillas will cook too fast.
7. Roll the dough out with your rolling pin or palote.  Dust each ball with a little flour before you roll them out.  Lay the rolling pin in the center of the dough ball and roll up, center and roll down.  Lift the dough and turn it.  Roll fairly thin and even.
8. Lay your tortilla on the heated pan.  It takes a few seconds to cook.  Flip.  Should have a lot of brown specks.  Place them in a towel. 

*Found at http://www.texasrollingpins.com/tortillarecipe.html

Hobo Packets

I love the idea of these..and they were GOOD too!

This recipe can be changed depending on how many people are eating.

Serves: 4

Ground beef (depends on how many are eating.  you will be making hamburger patties) or ground turkey
4-5 Potato per person
Onion sliced
Seasoning- garlic powder, Lawry's Seasoning Salt, etc.
Pat of Butter
4 pieces of Heavy Foil

1. Preheat oven to 375*.
2. Shape ground beef into patties.  Season well with seasonings.
3. Place each patty in the center of a piece of foil (abt. 15 inches long)
4. Place a few onion slices on top.
5. Place potato pieces on top of onion.  Sprinkle more seasoning on top.
   Add a bit of butter on top.  (I omitted this part and put some ice cubes in to lower fat)
  
6. Fold all sides up to look like a hobo bag.

**SEAL TIGHTLY***

7.  Cook for about 1 hour on the wire racks (I put them on top of a cookie sheet to lower the amount of mess to clean up.

We loved eating these with ketchup.  Super yummy. 

Variation:  Put a couple of tablespoons of Broccoli Soup, etc.  Adds flavor and a gravy.

Cranberry Salsa Dip