Mexican Rice

From:
This is my version, created after tweaking a bunch of other recipes...

Ingredients:
1 tomato (or two Romas), cut into quarters
1 medium onion, cut into quarters
1 cup long grain rice
2 T olive oil
chicken broth
1 T tomato paste
garlic powder
salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. 

In a food processor or blender, puree the tomato and onion until smooth.  Add enough broth to bring it to just over 2 c. of liquid.  Add tomato paste, garlic powder and salt to taste.  Taste.  Mmm.

In a sieve, rinse the rice until the water runs clear.  Shake as much excess water as you can from it.  In a oven-safe frying pan, heat the oil until shimmering.  Add the rice, and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to turn golden, and all the rice is opaque.

Add in the tomato broth, and bring to a boil.  Cover and place in the oven.  Cook for 15 minutes, remove lid and stir, then replace lid and cook for another 15 minutes.  Enjoy!!

It is absolutely delicious with Cuban Black Beans!

Kim's Buttery Tomato Pasta

From: 
Kimberly

Ingredients:
1 pkg angel hair pasta
6 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups diced plum tomatoes (about 7)
1/2 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Grated Parmesan cheese
Hot pepper flakes, optional

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until foamy. Add garlic. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and bring mixture to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Pour tomato mixture over pasta; toss to combine. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese and hot pepper flakes, if desired.

Snack Cake

From:
This is a classic Depression-era cake... but it has made a resurgence due to its extreme allergy-friendliness!

Ingredients:
1 2/3 c. AP flour
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. water
1/3 c. vegetable oil (I use canola)
1 tsp. vinegar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. chocolate chips (if desired)

Directions:
In food processor, stand mixer, or just by hand, blend flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Beat till smooth. Pour into greased and floured 8x8 pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, if desired. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or till a pick comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack.

No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients:
2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 c. milk
1 c. peanut butter
1 T vanilla
3 c. oats

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk to a boil. Boil one minute, then add peanut butter, vanilla and oats. Let it cool for a minute or two to harden up a bit, then drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper and let set.

Cheese's Salad

From:
my friend Anne, who has had the nickname "Cheese" for longer than I've known her, and that has been fourteen years!

Ingredients and Directions:
Chop up romaine, add EVOO & toss.

Add:
tomatoes
cucumbers (peeled, cut into small pieces/diced)
mild banana pepper rings
black olives
green olives
crumbled feta
diced buffalo mozzarella, provolone or crumbled gorgonzola (or a mix of all of the above)
diced pepperoni chunks
(optional) onion

Rhubarb Custard Pie

From:
my mother

Ingredients:
filling
1 1/2 c.white sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg or cinnamon
3 eggs
4 c. rhubarb, sliced

topping
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. butter

pie crust

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, nutmeg and eggs very well.  Stir in rhubarb by hand and turn into pie crust.

In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and butter.  Use a pastry cutter to combine until crumbly.  Sprinkle over the top of the pie filling.

Cover the edges with foil.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 20, or until topping is golden.

Fudge Pie

From:
my friend Laura

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Melt the butter and chocolate. Stir in the remaining ingredients, then pour into a greased pie pan. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes.

Note: can sprinkle 1/2 c. chopped nuts on the top if desired!

Joey's Pirate Chicken

From:
my friend Jenny

Ingredients:

3 lb chicken wings/legs/or pieces

1 cup honey

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tsp. oil

2 cloves of minced garlic

pepper to taste

 

Directions:
Put chicken legs in a freezer bag.  Combine sauce ingredients and pour over chicken.  Freeze.

Defrost, then pour into a 13x9 baking pan.  Roast at 375 degrees for 1 hour 30 minutes.  Turn and baste them to avoid browning. 


This is insanely easy, but incredibly delicious.  It's very sticky, so undress your children before serving it.  It's fabulous with either buttered rice or mashed potatoes.  By using gluten-free ketchup and soy sauce, this is gluten-free.

Creamy Tomato Soup - Without the Cream!

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium potatoes, diced (leave 1 or 2 unpeeled if you wish!)
4 c. broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried oregano
28 oz. petite cut diced tomatoes
1 t. sugar
salt to taste

Directions:
In a large pot, heat 2 T olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is translucent.  Add diced potatoes, broth, spices and tomatoes (and their juice), and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.  Using an immersion blender, blend completely.  Stir in sugar and salt.  Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:
1 c. raisins
1 c. apple juice
2 1/2 c. flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground allspice
1 t. salt
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. oil
1/2 c. applesauce
1 t. vanilla
15 oz. can pumpkin
4 eggs

Directions:
Place raisins in a small bowl.  Cover with apple juice.  Let sit for an hour, than drain and pat dry. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 pan or large bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.  In a large bowl, combine the sugar and oil.  Add the applesauce, pumpkin and vanilla.  Stir thoroughly, then add eggs, beating after each one. 

Stir raisins into the dry ingredients, using your fingers (if necessary) to make sure that all the raisins are separated.  Gently stir dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until combined, but do not overmix.  Pour into your prepared pan, and bake for 35 minutes (if 13 x 9 pan - will definitely take longer in a bundt).

Glaze if desired with powdered sugar, milk and cinnamon.