Grandma Alta's Sweet Potatoes

3-4 medium large sweet potatoes, peeled
1 stick butter
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon red hots

Peel potatoes. Slice longways (end to end) in 1/2 in or a little thicker slices.
Place potatoes in a large skillet. Add enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil and cook till just tender but still firm, not mushy. Drain all but about 1/2 cup water.
Cut up butter around potatoes. Add sugar and red red hots around potatoes.
Stir gently until sugar and red hots are dissolved. Add a little more water if necessary.
Cook on medium high heat until sugar mixture is thick and syrupy.
One time Alta put dollups of Kraft marshmallow creme on top when she served them. We never eat them that way.

Arroz Blanco

A large saucepan
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
1/4 cup oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic peeled and put through the garlic press
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn kernels

Heat oil in pan until hot.  Stir the rice into the oil making sure all the grains get coated.  Cook the rice until it begins to get translucent ( about 3-4 min).  Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion begins to get translucent.  Stir the broth into rice and do not stir again during the cooking time.  Cook the rice over a medium to low flame.  It should bubble lightly until almost all of the liquid has disappeared....about 10 min.   Stir in the frozen corn.  Lower the flame and cover pan.  Cook 5 more min. or until corn is done.

Breaded Asparagus

1 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup egg beaters
1 box /2 cups Progresso Italian Panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Pam-butter flavor

Trim and rinse asparagus. Make sure it is still damp. Line up three pie plates or breading trays. Put flour in first one, egg beaters in second and panko bread crumbs in third one. Mix garlic powder into bread crumbs.

Line a cookie sheet with non-stick aluminum foil or parchment paper.

Rinse asparagus. While still wet, roll asparagus spear in flour, then in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place on cookie sheet. Repeat process until all spears are coated. You can put them close together. Lightly spray all over with butter flavored Pam.
Bake at 425 for 10-15 min. or until lightly browned and tender.

THE BEST Macaroni and Cheese

1 16oz. pkg. elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
2 cups Velveta cheese, cubed
2 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese
2 1/2 cups 2% or whole milk
1 egg

Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain. Cut butter into pieces and place in bottom of 13x9 pan. Place half of the macaroni on top of butter. Sprinkle with 1 cup Velveta cubes and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Beat egg with milk. Pour half of milk mixture over macaroni layer. Repeat layer of macaroni, cheeses and egg mixture.

Bake at 350 F for 15 min. Remove from oven; stir until well blended. Return to oven and bake an additional 20 min. or until golden on top. People will eat this till it is gone. Great for parties and family dinners. Leftovers are good reheated in microwave (if you have any)!

Noni's Sweet Potatoes

4-6 sweet potatoes
1 stick of butter
1 1/2 to 2 cups brown sugar
3 TBS dark Karo syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon

Boil sweet potatoes until fork tender, but still firm. Drain, run cold water over, drain again. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut potatoes in chunks. Place in casserole or 13 x 9 pan. Cut up butter into pieces over potatoes. Sprinkle brown sugar over all. Pour syrup over all.

  Sprinkle cinnamon over all. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 35-40 min. or until syrupy. Stir about half way through baking.

Grandma Alta's Sweet Potatoes

4-5 large fat sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced long ways a little over 1/4 in. thick
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup red hots candy

Place sweet potato slices in a large skillet. Add water. Bring to boil. Cover and boil until tender, but not mushy. You should use a spatula to turn them after a few minutes. Pour off all but a little (1/4 cup) water. Add butter, sugar and red hots to pan. Cook until red hots are melted, sugar is dissolved and syrup forms.

Thanksgiving Stuffing

1 large loaf of Sandwich style bread (the long pkg with the square pieces of bread)

1 stick of real butter

1 cup chopped onion

3 stalks celery chopped

1 roll Jimmy Dean or some other sausage with sage

1 can cream of chicken soup

½ can water

1 egg, slightly beaten

½ tsp. garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Lay pieces of bread on cookie sheets for a day or two before making the dressing so it gets stale, or buy day old bread from the bakery outlet.

1. Tear up stale bread into bite size pieces and put in large bowl or pan. Add Garlic powder.

2. In non-stick skillet, cook sausage until brown but not really dry and dark.

3. Remove sausage with slotted spoon or drain on paper towels then put on top of bread.

4. Pour off any remaining grease and in same skillet, melt butter on medium heat. When almost melted, add onion and celery. Saute until soft, but do not brown. Add can of soup and ½ can of water. Mix well and heat through.

5. Pour soup mixture over bread mixture. Stir until bread is mixed in, but not real mushy. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Add egg and stir in.

6. Pour into greased casserole dish.
7.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes until brown on top.

Broccoli Casserole

* 1 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli
* 1 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 1 1/2 cups instant rice, dry
* 3/4 cup chopped onion
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 (16 ounce) Cheese Whiz
* salt to taste
* ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook rice as directed on box.
2. Saute onions in margarine until soft, add broccoli and saute a few more minutes.

3. Mix together broccoli, soup, rice, onion, butter or margarine, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in greased casserole dish.
4. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees F until hot and bubbly.

Brocolli Parmesan

1 large head brocolli or more if you are serving several people
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tbs. butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Steam brocolli.
While brocolli is steaming, saute onion in butter in saucepan. Add can of cream of chicken soup, milk and stir well. If too thick, add just a little more milk (tablespoon at a time). Stir in parmesan cheese. Heat through. Serve over hot, steamed brocolli.

Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely minced
Lemon juice (from 1/2 or a whole lemon)
Olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese

Method
1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer in an oven-proof baking dish. Toss in the garlic. Squeeze lemon juice over cauliflower and drizzle each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If the oven hasn't reached 400°F yet, set aside until it has.
2 Place casserole in the hot oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork tines should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Italian Green Beans

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling water until just crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain well; set aside.

Melt the butter and oil in a heavy, large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add the beans and cook until the juices evaporate and the beans are almost tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Stir in the wine and basil. Simmer 2 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl, and serve.

Mango Lime Salsa

2 Mangoes, peeled, seeded and diced
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 jalapeno peppers chopped fine
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for about 30 min. to let flavors meld. Serve over grilled chicken, fish, or just eat with chips.

Summer Corn

• 4 ears fresh corn
• 2 TBSP mayonnaise, thinned with juice of a lime
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 TBSP finely grated Parmesan cheese

1. Peel back the husks and remove husks, then recover the ears with husks and soak in cold water for 10 minutes.
2. Place the ears on the grill and cook for 15 minutes, turning so the husks don't burn.
3. Pull back husks and grill the ears for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the corn is lightly charred.
4. Paint the ears with a sheen of lime mayo and dust them with chile powder and cheese.
   

Texas Potatoes

1 2 lb. pkg. frozen hash browns (cubed style)
1 stick margarine or butter, melted
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 8 oz. container sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper


Topping
2 1/2 cups crushed cornflakes
1/4 cup melted margarine or butter

Spray 13 x 9 pan with Pam or lightly grease. Mix first 8 ingredients together in large bowl then pour into 13 x 9 pan. Next, crush cornflakes (I put them in a ziplock back and use a rolling pin). Pour margarine over crumbs and mix. Put topping on potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 min.

Two Potato Gratin

1 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (Mandolin works great)

1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 pint whipping cream (can also use half and half to skim a few calories)

3 tbs. chopped rosemary, sage, or marjoram (or a combination of all three)

2 cups (packed) shredded Gruyere cheese

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Salt and pepper

Butter for baking dish

Freshly chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Generously butter 13x9 glass baking dish. Arrange mix of gold and sweet potatoes in bottom of prepared dish, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Add herbs into whipping cream, and drizzle 1/4 cup over first layer, followed by a handful of Gruyere. Add another layer of potatoes and repeat above until layers reach 1/2 in. from top of dish. Compress potatoes with hands pushing potatoes down so that they are submerged in the cream. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and any remaining Gruyere.

Bake gratin covered 30 min. Reduce oven temperature to 350F. Continue to bake gratin uncovered until potatoes are tender and top is golden brown, about 45 min. Remove from oven; let stand 10 min. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve.

Lumber Jack Potatoes

3-5 large, long white baking potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼ in. thick (about 6 cups)
1 cup chopped onions
6 Tbs. butter or margarine
1 Tbs. dried parsley
1 tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp. pepper
3/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
3/4 tsp. dried sage, crushed
3/4 tsp. dried crushed rosemary
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
In a large saucepan, cook the potato slices in lightly salted boiling water for 12 to 14 min. or till just tender. Drain off water.
In a heavy, large skillet, melt butter and cook onions and potatoes over medium-high heat till potatoes are lightly browned, turning often. You can add a couple more TBS of butter if they seem to dry. Add dried parsley, garlic, pepper, thyme, sage and rosemary. Toss lightly. Lightly spray a 13 x 9 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes till heated through.
NOTE: You can add 1 lb. of cooked breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean, etc.) to this and make it a breakfast casserole/ Side dish.

You can also add more seasoning if you like and for a more rustic dish, scrub the skins and slice and cook with the skins on.

Asparagus with Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 lb thin asparagus spears
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (fleur de sel is excellent here)
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 ounces parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Wash the asparagus and break the tough ends off (no need to peel them in my opinion).
Place the asparagus in a roasting pan and drizzle on the oil and sprinkle with the pepper.
Shake the pan to coat the asparagus evenly with oil.
Place in the oven and roast until asparagus is softened but retains a little crunch, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove from oven, arrange on a serving platter and top with the balsamic vinegar, fleur de sel and freshly grated parmesan (no kraft please! Use the real stuff).
Serve immediately.