Hearty Hashbrown Soup

Hearty Hashbrown Soup

2 pounds frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

4 cups water

1 large onion, chopped

3/4 cup sliced celery

4 chicken bouillon cubes

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 quart milk

2 cups cubed fully cooked ham

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1-1/2 teaspoons garlic salt

8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, combine the first seven ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Mash vegetables with cooking liquid. Add soup and milk; stir until smooth. Add ham, parsley and garlic salt; simmer for 10 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with bacon. 

Yield: 12-16 servings.

Caramel Apple Pie

Caramel Apple Pie

2 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
½ c. oatmeal
¾ tsp. salt
1/3 c. pecans (optional)
¾ c. butter – melted

Mix above ingredients. Save ½ c. for topping. Press the rest into a crust in a pie plate.

4 c. apples
¾ c. sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbs. flour
10 caramel squares

Dump onto crust. Sprinkle remaining topping. 

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

Grandma Miles' Lime Pickles

Simply the best. :)

7 pounds of cucumbers sliced, not peeled

Dissolve 2 cups of lime in 2 gallons of water and soak cucumbers in the water for 24 hours. Wash thoroughly several times. Let stand 3 hours in cold water. Drain well. (Do not use a metal pan. The lime is not nice to metal. An old-fashioned pottery crock is best for soaking.)


Bring the following to a boil and pour over the cucumbers and let set overnight:


2 quarts vinegar
1 tsp. whole cloves 
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon salt
4 pounds of sugar


(put the cloves and celery seed in a cheesecloth bag to keep the cloves from leaving dark spots on the cucumbers and to remove them easier before canning)


Reheat cucumbers and fluid til the fluid is clear (20-30 minutes) and water bath can.

Strawberry Angel Food Cake

Bake 1 large angel food cake as directed.  When cool, tear into bite size pieces.

Dissolve 2 small packages of strawberry Jell-o in 2 1/2 cups of hot water.

Add 2 10 oz. packages of frozen whole strawberries.  Cool mixture until syrupy.

Fold in 1 8 oz. carton Cool Whip.

Fold the cake pieces into the jello mixture.

Place in a large pretty glass bowl or individual dessert cups.

Cool until ready to serve.

Green Tomato Relish

24 large green tomatoes
3 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
3 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
2 banana pepper
6 large onions
2-3 jalapenos - veined and seeded to taste
3 tablespoons celery seed
3 tablespoons mustard seed
1 tablespoon salt
5 cups white sugar
2 cups cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a grinder or food processor, coarsely grind tomatoes, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, and onions. (You may need to do this in batches.) Line a large colander with cheesecloth, place in sink or in a large bowl, and pour in tomato mixture to drain for 1 hour.
2. In a large, non-aluminum stockpot, combine tomato mixture, celery seed, mustard seed, salt, sugar, and vinegar. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Sterilize enough jars and lids to hold relish (12 one-pint jars, or 6 one-quart jars). Pack relish into sterilized jars, making sure there are no spaces or air pockets. Fill jars all the way to top. Screw on lids.
4. Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with boiling water. Carefully lower jars into pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary, until tops of jars are covered by 2 inches of water. Bring water to a full boil, then cover and process for 30 minutes.
5. Remove jars from pot and place on cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press top of each lid with finger, ensuring that seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Relish can be stored for up to a year.

2013 Notes:
25 pounds of green tomatoes, yield 20.5 quarts
Used 6 jalepenos - semi-rough clean
Yellow onions
Mixed sweet peppers - 2/1 lb. bags

Zucchini Cakes

1 whole Large Zucchini
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
½ cups (to 3/4 Cup) Cornmeal
½ cups 4-cheese Italian Blend (or Parmesan Or Romano)
2 whole Eggs
Kosher Salt To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
Olive Oil

Wash and cut the end off of one large zucchini. Shred it using the large holes of a cheese grater. Squeeze the shredded zucchini inside of a clean towel until you’ve removed as much liquid as possible.

Place shredded zucchini into a medium sized bowl. Add minced garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese (shredded), eggs, kosher salt and pepper to taste. Stir with a fork until well mixed.

Heat olive oil (about ¼ inch deep in bottom of skillet) to a medium heat. When the oil is hot enough drop a glob of zucchini batter into the skillet and flatten it a bit. After about two minutes, turn the cakes over ( they should be nice golden-brown) and cook on the other side until done (about 2-3 minutes).

Serve with the dipping sauce of your choice and enjoy!

Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

3 whole Eggs
1 cup Vegetable Oil (or 1 Cup Applesauce)
2 cups Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
2 cups Shredded Zucchini (You Don\'t Have To Peel Them)
2-½ cups All-purpose Flour
½ cups Baking Cocoa
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
Handful Chocolate Chips Or Mini Chips

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Stir in zucchini. Combine all the dry ingredients and add it to the zucchini mixture. Mix well. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans, or make muffins by filling the pans 2/3 full with batter.
Bake loaf pans at 350F for 1 hour or until bread tests done. Bake muffins at 350F for 15 minutes or until they test done.