On June 13, 1973, I moved home to Mom and Dad’s with Allan and Shannon, and Tom moved to a trailer in “Whipple’s Mobile Home Estates” in Fairfax, Virginia, where he worked in a K-Mart all day and on his MBA at George Washington University at night. Following is the meal he ate almost every night for about five months.
2 hamburgers, fried
1 can Pringle Potato Chips, opened
2 beers, cold
In 1972, Linda and Rick moved to Virginia. We often got together with them for evenings of “Chili and Bridge”, both in Virginia and later in Pittsburgh when we all lived there. This is also better the second day.
3 T butter
3 medium onions
1 ½ pound ground beef
1 large can tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
½ c beer
1 t salt
¼ t tobacco
2 T chili powder
1 large can kidney beans
Brown onions and beef in butter. Add all but beans. Simmer 45 minutes. Add beans. Simmer 15 minutes longer.
Posted in Original Cookbook, Rita and Tom's Recipes, Soups and Stews
This is a meal in itself along with French bread in the wintertime. Better the second day. It is known in our family as “Belly Button Soup” because Shannon has a “thing” about that word and when she first saw garbanzo beans, she went crazy because they looked like belly buttons.
1 pound dried garbanzo beans
2 pounds potatoes
½ pound bacon
2 onions
2 ham hocks
2 beef soup bones (I’ve left these out and it is still good)
Few shakes of Bijol
1-2 cans of chorizo
Soak beans overnight in enough water to cover. Drain. Put beans, beef, and ham bones into a very large pot with lots of water (Jeannie says 4 quarts, but I’ve never found a pot big enough). Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer. Fry chopped bacon and onion and add to soup. Add salt and enough Bijol to make broth pale yellow. Simmer several hours. About two hours before dinner, add potatoes (in eighths) and sliced chorizo (remove lard first).
Posted in Original Cookbook, Rita and Tom's Recipes, Soups and Stews
Betty and George came to visit us right before Allan was born in 1969. She made this for us and gave me the recipe, which I’ve made often since.
12-14 pieces chicken
3 c raw rice
2 ½ c chicken broth
2 c beer, room temperature
1 stick margarine
2 T tomato paste
2 onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 t garlic powder
1 ½ t Bijol
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can pimentos
1 can petite peas
1 can asparagus
Brown chicken in margarine. Add onion, green pepper, tomato paste, garlic powder, and cook until veggies are tender. Add broth, beer, and Bijol.Bring to boil, add rice, bring to boil again, then reduce fire to low and cook until rice is tender (cover pan). Garnish with pimentos, peas, and asparagus. Serves 10.
Posted in Entrees, Original Cookbook, Rita and Tom's Recipes
Tom and I had this as newlyweds in our first apartment in Quantico.
Marinate flank steak in following mixture for six hours:
½ c soy sauce
¼ c wine vinegar
1 minced garlic clove
2 t ginger
¼ c salad oil
¼ c honey
1 T onion flakes
Cook on grill. Slice on diagonal into thin strips.
Crust: Combine 1 c flour, 3 T sugar, and a pinch of salt. Cut in 6 T margarine. Press crumbs lightly into 0” pie plate, making bottom slightly thicker than sides. Bake 10 minutes at 450. Cool.
Filling and glaze: 1 quart strawberries, cleaned; ½ c water; ¾ c sugar, 2 t lemon juice, 2 T cornstarch, 1 c whipping cream , 1/3 c cottage cheese, few drops almond extract
Combine 1 c berries in saucepan with ½ c water, ½ c sugar, and 2 t lemon juice. Heat to boiling and simmer. Put all in blender and add 2 T cornstarch; whip till smooth. Return to pan and cook tipp boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Cool to room temperature.
Combine 2/3 c whipping cream, 2/3 c cottage cheese, ¼ c sugar and extract in blender. Whip till smooth. Put cheese layer in crust. Top with 1 c of glaze. Mound rest of strawberries, sliced, on top. Cover with rest of glaze. Chill. Garnish with rest of whipping cream, whipped. May be done with raspberries; sieve for glaze.
Posted in Desserts, Maureen and Ron's Recipes, Original Cookbook
Saute 2 T chopped green onion in 2 T oil.
Mix into: 1 c cooked soybeans, chopped in blender
1 c cooked brown rice
½ c grated cheese
1 c toasted sesame and/or sunflour seeds, ground in blender
1/3 c whole wheat flour
1 t salt
2 t soy sauce
½ t basil
Form into patties. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Top with cheese. Bake until melted. Serve on buns. Makes 8.
Posted in Entrees, Maureen and Ron's Recipes, Original Cookbook, Vegetarian
Tofu has been a mainstay in the Orient for hundreds of years and a mainstay in our house for several of those. Because we prefer to eat very little meat, we eat a lot of vegetarian dishes like cheese crepes, enchiladas and manicotti, spaghetti marinara and soyburgers—and tofu. Tofu is a soybean curd available in most fresh produce departments. It’s high in protein and low in cholesterol. It should be stored in water and the water changed daily. We use it in broth with vegetables for soup. We use it in stir fry and lasagna. And the kids like it best sliced and breaded in corn meal, lightly fried and doused in soy sauce.
Posted in Entrees, Maureen and Ron's Recipes, Original Cookbook, Vegetarian
Tagged tofu
Serves 8-10. May be done a day before and cooked, then reheated—improves flavor. May be frozen.
3 medium-sized eggplants
½ c butter
3 large onions, finely chopped
2 pounds ground beef or lamb
3 T tomato paste
½ c red wine
½ c chopped parsley
¼ t cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
6 T flour
1 quart milk
4 eggs, beaten
Nutmeg
2 c ricotta or cottage cheese
1 c fine bread crumbs
1 c parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Peel eggplants and slice ½” thick. Broil till brown on both sides; set aside. Brown meat and discard grease. Add onions and cook. Combine tomato paste, wine, parsley, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, and stir into meat until all liquid is absorbed. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375. Make a white sauce by melting margarine and blending in flour. Bring milk to a boil and gradually add to butter and flour. Stir constantly. When thick and smooth, remove from heat. Cool and stir in eggs, nutmeg, and ricotta cheese. Grease an 11×16” pan or large casserole. Sprinkle bottom with bread crumbs. Arrange alternate layers of eggplant and meat sauce, sprinkling each with Parmesan and bread crumbs. Pour ricotta sauce over all and bake one hour. Cool 20-30 minutes before serving.
Posted in Entrees, Maureen and Ron's Recipes, Original Cookbook
Served at Jeanne and Tim’s rehearsal dinner.
Mix ½ pound feta cheese, ½ pound cream cheese, 1 pound small curd cottage cheese, and 2-4 eggs in mixer until well blended. Melt 1/3 – 1/2 pound butter or margarine. Using ½ – 4/5 pound filo (strudel) dough, thawed, lay out whole leaves (2 or 3 at a time) on a greased cookie sheet. Spread with melted butter, then spread thinly with cheese filling. Lay out 3 or 4 more sheets and repeat above with butter and cheese, 6-7 times. Spread top layer with butter. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.
Watch—when it’s getting brown on top, it’s done.
Use as main dish, side dish, or cut into squares as appetizers. Must be served immediately.
Posted in Appetizers and Dips, Entrees, Maureen and Ron's Recipes, Original Cookbook, Sides, Vegetarian
Tagged cheese