15 really really great Recipes

dough, masa flour- coarse for tamales - a special lime treated corn flour, shortening heated to liquid ( could be lard, use white vegetable shortening or even oil ) i used crisco brand shortening, baking powder, salt, heaping tbsp chipole powder or chili powder ( gives the dough a little kick ), heated chicken broth or as needed, mixed shredded mexican cheese ( jack, cheddar ,asadero etc ), roasted, peeled , seeded jalepeno and anaheim chili peppers( plus i used some sweet ones too ), corn husks ( i used less than 1/2 the package )

ground beef, ground pork, onion, minced, fresh minced garlic (or use 1-1/2 tsp garlic powder), chili sauce (or use 1/4 cup of each!) or 1/2 cup ketchup (or use 1/4 cup of each!), seasoned dry bread crumb (more if needed), milk, eggs, slightly beaten, worcestershire sauce (1 more tbsp won tsp hurt!), dried oregano, dried basil, seasoning salt (can use white salt), fresh ground black pepper (or to taste), ketchup, brown sugar (start with 2 tbsp and add in more to taste), butter, fresh sliced mushrooms, onion, chopped, dried thyme (rubbed between fingers to release the oils), fresh breadcrumbs, fresh parsley, salt (or to taste), fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

short rib of beef, in 3 inch chunks, paprika, chili powder, brown sugar, cumin, dry mustard, salt, oil, onions, chopped, garlic cloves, chopped (about 2 tbsp chopped ), favorite barbecue sauce, beer or 1 cup red wine, soy sauce, brown sugar (can use more or less ), worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar or 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, chopped chipotle chile (optional)

sharp cheddar cheese, elbow macaroni or 1 lb rotini pasta, butter, onion, chopped, flour, sea salt, fresh ground pepper , to taste, milk

beef stew meat , cut into 1 inch pieces, smoked pork hocks (only use 1 if it is large! also, you could substitute some really great smoked bacon or salt pork ), water, fresh spinach , torn into pieces (if you can find platto or bologi, use that...i recommend that if you can tsp find platto or bologi, th), onions, finely chopped, garlic cloves, minced, tomatoes, peeled and chopped, gingerroot, grated (may use 1 tsp ground ginger), ground red pepper, peanut oil, hard-cooked eggs, chopped, hot cooked rice (optional), finishing salt , to taste

fresh lemon juice (juice of 6 lemons), sugar (or more to taste), cold water, lemon (sliced into to rounds), ice cube (lots!)

eggs , shaken in bag, ham, diced, cheese, shredded, hash browns, shredded, green onions, chopped, mushrooms , caned

elbow macaroni, shredded cheese (i like a mixture of cheddar, gruyere, jack), mushroom soup, milk, onion chopped and browned, mayonnaise, cheezit crackers

flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin, raisins

fresh snap peas, vegetable oil, sesame oil, pine nuts (cashews are good also!), fresh minced ginger, dry sherry, soy sauce

risotto with sausage and cranberry beans, make risotto , you absolutely must use a specific type of rice called arborio rice (carnaroli and vialone nano are also used, some say superior, but are more difficult to find). these types of rice release starch when stirred in a liquid; it is this process which makes risotto, otherwise you just have a starchy mess of mush. these types of rice are identified by their fat round grains and pearly appearance. they can be used to make other sorts of rice dishes, such as pilaf, but other types of rice cannot be used for risotto. arborio is no longer that much of a specialty product; it can be found in most large, well-stocked grocery stores in the italian section. or sometimes, misguidedly, in the asian section., okay , so now we have the rice. you will also need some good, low-salt stock or broth - it should be low-salt not for health reasons, but because a good deal of it will evaporate, leaving its salt behind, and i like to have more control over the salt in a dish. it can be homemade, but i m not going to be a snob about it because, in truth, we go through gallons of store-bought stock in this household and i don tsp see that changing anytime soon. furthermore, risotto is actually a dish which can be whipped up out of thin air when it seems as though you have nothing to eat, as long as you have butter, rice, stock, maybe a few herbs, and some leftover parmesan. i like the kind of stock purchased in tetrapak cartons, because they are resealable and can be put in the fridge and used as needed. if you really want to use homemade but you don tsp have time to make stock or don tsp like the aroma of roasting bones in your house (i don tsp blame you), you can buy really great stock at north market poultry and game - it is expensive, but can be diluted with a 2- or 3-to-1 ratio of water to stock, so it stretches. my general guideline is to plan on 1/4 cup dry rice per person, and about 4 cups of stock to 1 cup of rice. of course, this isn tsp exact and will vary depending on your elevation and the phases of the moon, but it s a good place to start. i usually just use 4 cups of stock and then dilute with water or wine (or sometimes beer, if that s all i have) if i feel i m going to run out., well, we have rice and stock covered, now we just need our setup: place the stock in a saucepan on your rear burner, bring to a simmer, and leave it there with a 6-8 oz ladle in, and place a large, wide saute pan (must be really large, plan that your rice will at least quadruple in size) or dutch oven on the burner in front. get out your favorite wooden spoon and flex your stirring arm., nice thing about using sausage is it s so full of flavor you can leave out the usual onion/garlic/shallot/celery nonsense if you re tired and don tsp feel like chopping. furthermore, sausage goes from the freezer to the pan without suffering too much. okay, let s go, risotto with sausage and cranberry beans - serves 4, links italian sausage , or 1 lb bulk (or hot, or a combination - definitely with some fennel), casings removed, cooked cranberry beans or 1 can white beans, drained, arborio rice, beef , chicken or vegetable stock, butter, freshly, finely grated parmesan cheese , plus more for garnish, an oz) flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely, lemon juice , or juice from 1/2 lemon, salt and black pepper to taste, red pepper flakes to taste, optional, good balsamic vinegar , optional

spinach ala tom, i wanted to add that some cream cheese, sour cream added to this mixture would make a great dip, just add some milk to the cream cheese if needed to make it less thick, just don tsp over do it. i would add after all the other ingredients are cooked., a recipe something like my dad used to make , except he put 2 eggs in it and scrambled it all together, i don tsp do that. i also added a few things to it. of course all you velveeta fans can add that instead of the fresh parmesan., green giant frozen chopped spinach, oscar mayer chopped bacon ( in the yellow plastic pouch in the salad isle of your store) it s really lower fat and easier to use than regular bacon and it also tastes good., a small yellow onion diced, unsalted butter, amount of fresh shredded parmesan cheese for garnish .