Campfire Hash

For Anna in her hour of need . . .

I got this from allrecipes. I like to just bring cold baked potatoes to dice up to cut down on the cooking time.

Campfire Hash

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 pound fully cooked smoked kielbasa, cubed
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

DIRECTIONS
In a Dutch oven, heat oil. Saute onion and garlic under tender. Add potatoes. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add kielbasa; cook and stir until potatoes are tender and well browned, about 10 minutes more. Stir in chilies and corn; cook until heated through.

Koni's Meatball Soup

I got this from Koni. It's fast, easy & good. What more could you ask for. I use the Italian meatballs from Costco. If you make the meatballs from the recipe below I'd add some garlic and Italian seasoning. that would make them more like the Costco meatballs and give them a little more flavor. Also I added a little flour and water to the soup to thicken it a little at the end. Thanks for sharing Koni. I gave some to Natalie the other day when she wasn't feeling well. She wanted the recipe. Here it is.

It’s Meatball Soup

3 cups chicken broth
1 14 ½ oz. can diced tomatoes
¾ c. dry pasta
1 cup corn
½ t Italian seasoning
½ t pepper
1 lb. Prepared meatballs (prepared or use recipe below)

Add broth, tomatoes, vegetables, Italian seasoning, and pepper to large pot. Cover and bring to boil. Stir in pasta. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add meatballs. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes until pasta is cooked through. Serve immediately. Makes 6 large portions.


Easy bake meatballs:
1 lb. Ground beef
1/3 c. bread crumbs
1 egg
½ t salt
¼ t pepper

Mix ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, and pepper together. Form small balls with meat and place on a baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees until browned and cooked through.

"Good Soup"

My kids have named this "The Good Soup" Apparently every single other soup I make does not fall into the "good" category. This recipe varies only slightly from the original on Allrecipes.

Dumpling Soup

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup water, or as needed

6 medium potatoes - peeled and cubed
salt to taste
8 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
6 ounces sliced bacon, diced
1 large onion, chopped

1 cup cooked diced chicken (optional)

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Crack the egg into a measuring cup, and add enough water to equal 1 cup. Whisk with a fork. Gradually stir the egg-water and oil into the flour mixture with the fork until a soft dough is formed. Use your hands to mix the dough until is smooth and no longer sticky, adding more flour or water as needed. Cover the bowl, and set aside until the potatoes are ready.

Place potatoes in a large pot with the broth, and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and onion; cook and stir until onions are golden and bacon is cooked. Set aside.

When the potatoes are cooked, pinch off small pieces of the dough, and drop them into the boiling potato water. Turning the dough in your hand will help keep it from sticking to your fingers. Once all of the dumplings have been added, you can stir in the bacon and onions. Add the optional chicken. Ladle some of the water from the soup into the skillet, and swish it around to clean out all of the tasty bits and juices. Pour back into the soup. Turn off the soup, and let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Mom's Pasta with Bacon and Hot Peppers

Delicious and fast!

Cook 1 lb capellini to al dente
While pasta is cooking cook 8 slices bacon. Drain and crumble.
Add 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 sliced onions, and 8 perpperoncini peppers seeded and diced.
Saute and then add 4 cups crushed tomatoes. Add salt and cracked pepper to taste.
Mix in noodles and serve with 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

My favorite Pancakes

Oatmeal Pancakes with Buttermilk Syrup
(AKA Surfer Pancakes)

2c. quick oats
1/2 c. wheat flour
2T Sugar
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 stick butter
1 t vanilla

Combine melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Mix and let stand 20-30 minutes. Pancake mix will be thick.

Buttermilk Syrup

1 cube butter
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 c. buttermilk
1c sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Combine butter, buttermilk, soda and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp vanilla. Serve warm.--make sure you use a large saucepan, the soda makes it foam.

Granola from Susan Gleason......by Koni Smith

Granola from Susan Gleason

14 cups of oats (my mom suggests using 7 quick and 7 old fashioned)
2 cups walnuts
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups wheat germ
2 cups coconut
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cup honey
1 cup oil
box of raisins
craisins

Mix together the dry ingredients, then wet, then mix together by hand. Cook in two shallow baking pans at 225 F until light brown. Put one pan on each shelf. Every half hour, stir granola and switch the pan on the top shelf with the pan on the bottom shelf. Cook for 2 hours. After cooking is done, stir in raisins and craisins if desired. Let cool. (If you like it more crunchy, leave pans in the oven while the oven is cooling. I did that this time and it was a little too done for me because I like it chewy instead of crunchy, but but Benjamin likes it crunchy.)

Texas New Potato Salad

It's no secret I don't like traditional potato salad with mayonnaise and eggs. I love this one with bacon, cilantro, cumin and coriander seeds. Yumm!!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

3 pounds small red potatoes

1 red onion, cut into thick slices

1 tablespoon Coriander Seed

8 Cumin Seed

1 tablespoon Oregano Leaves, Mexican

2 serrano or jalapeño pepper, minced

3 slices bacon, crisply cooked and coarsely chopped

1 bunch fresh cilantro, thick stems discarded and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Cook potatoes in boiling water 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool to room temperature. Quarter the potatoes; set aside.

2. Grill onion slices over high heat until lightly caramelized.

3. Toast coriander and cumin seeds in small dry skillet on medium heat 1 minute or until fragrant. Add oregano; lightly toast about 20 seconds, watching for burning. Immediately remove spices from skillet

4. Whisk oil, vinegar, toasted spices, salt and pepper in large bowl. Add potatoes, onions, serrano pepper, bacon and cilantro; toss lightly.