a couple of recipes

I know I'm late in doing this....forgive me please? I usually don't even have a recipe when I cook things because I cook off the top of my head so much....but the kids getting older and Jess having the baby and Josh living so far away and all of them wanting my cooking down in writing to follow on their own later has inspired me to get busy and figure out how to communicate cooking. Anyway.....I'll type in the ones I have time for while waiting for Troy to get home and add to them as I can.

A couple of things to note. I don't write recipes well and I don't explain things very well....probably why I never bother to write down recipes. I ALWAYS substitute things and leave things out here and there....teaching Tae to cook has been really hard and Jess totally gave up doing anything other than just watching me to learn a long time ago. Stuff like chicken broth.....I almost always have in the freezer from cooking chicken and that's what I will use, if I don't have it I'll use the cheapo cube bouillon ....never ever the canned stuff I'm just too cheap to even want to see if it's worth it. We also use powdered milk for cooking and sometimes canned milk....when I use powdered milk to make gravy or a thick sauce I add a bit of butter to it and some extra powder so it tastes better.
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Missouri Hillbilly style Sweet and Sour Chicken (in other words the quickest cheapest way I could figure)

1lb of chicken, pull off the skin and cut it into pieces. Leave the bone in(it'll take longer to cook) or take it out...it's your call.
1Tbsp oil.... I'm not picky and don't care so I use vegetable or olive or peanut or whatever.
1 garlic clove....haha you thought that was too simple for me to add anything- I use garlic already chopped up in a jar and I probably use the equivalent of 2 cloves cuz I love garlic.
1 cup green pepper strips.... sometimes I skip these, but if we have them I use em.
3Tbsp. vinegar
3Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/4 c chicken bouillon or broth
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ginger....sometimes I use a bit more than that or fresh ginger for better taste
1-8oz can pineapple chunks in juice
enough corn starch to make a smooth paste with water...total volume about 1/4-1/3 cup
1pkg. stir fry veggies....whatever kind you like best or fresh veggies cut up

Saute chicken in oil till browned (if yours is bone in and not cut up small you may have to parboil it or prebake depending on the size of your pieces). Add garlic and veggies and stir fry 2-4 minutes. Add bouillon, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar ginger and pineapple with juice. Then I mix in the corn starch until the mixture starts to thicken a bit but not quite gravy thickness.....it will thicken as it simmers for a few minutes and you may not use all of the corn starch paste. Serve hot over cooked rice.

I have also made this with ground turkey and leftover turkey from thanksgiving and left over pork chops or pork roast and it still fed us all just fine. I usually double the recipe because my sons think they need to eat like grown men who haven't been fed in a week.
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Sorta Kinda almost a little like Swedish Meatballs
1 lb ground beef and 1 lb ground turkey I usually mix this stuff half and half with most of my dishes because I don't like the flavor of the ground turkey alone...you could use all of one or the other if you want to.
2 Slices of bread, torn up into itty bitty pieces
1/2 - 1 cup bread crumbs no I'm not crazy it adds better texture and they hold together better but if you don't want to use them just don't
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp garlic powder
scant sprinkle of pepper
even scanter sprinkle of sage

Sgoosh all of this together in a big bowl with your hands. Yes, it has to be with your hands or it won't taste right don't ask me why.....i don't make the rules of what makes food good I just do what grandma whacked me with a spoon for skipping cuz I thought it was gross when I was a kid. Roll them into little or big or medium sized balls and then you can either brown them up in a skillet on the stove....my favorite method since the grease leaping from the pan and landing on my wrist making a really awesome sizzle sound while I scream and dance around in front of the stove is such great and free entertainment for my family.....or you can just toss them in the oven to brown up....either way it'll take ya about 20-30 minutes and no you can't turn off the heat and run for the burn cream either you have to wait until after supper. Besides, while the meatballs are cooking you have to make yourself boil egg noodles to serve them on no matter how many times you think you may die if you get within firing range of the skillet....come on lady, be brave you have a hungry family to feed sheesh ya crybaby.

Now to get ready to make the gravy:
1/2 cup of the fat from cooking the meatballs
1/3 cup of flour
3 cups of beef broth
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dillweed
1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)


Now after the meatballs are cooked.....no not the burn cream yet....drain them on some paper towels ....or if you are like me and you are allergic to spending money on paper that you throw away that never touches anything you can't speak of out loud then get some newspaper and throw a dishtowel over it and use that. While that is going on you have to get really brave and drain some of the hot fat from making the meatballs into a HEAT RESISTANT ...yes Jessi that means metal or glass measuring cup. You will need 1/2 cup of fat, discard whatever is left unless you have some special thing to do with leftover hamburger fat (I really don't want to know). If you used all turkey or something and don't have enough fat you can make up the difference with bacon fat or plain old butter or shortening or whatever is grease.

Heat up your fat in a semi large pan. When it is good and hot stir in the flour making sure to get out the lumps. When it is smooth and hot then stir in the beef broth ....ya'll know how I feel about the chicken broth...same goes for beef. Then stir in the milk....you will have to add the liquid a little at a time and keep stirring to not get lumps (Jess just keep trying and your gravy will stop looking like cottage cheese I promise). Add your spices as it cooks Bring it to a boil and then turn it down just enough to keep it from scorching and keep stirring until it is gravy thick....I say it that way cuz not everyone likes gravy that stays on the spoon upside down (Josh). Toss your meatballs back into the gravy and scoop a big mess of it out onto your noodles and it's supper. It smells so yummy that by now your stomach is growling and you forgot all about the burn cream.
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Okay, that's it for today I have to round the kids up to go to church. Troy still hasn't made it home either so I have to track him down and see what he wants me to do. Ya'll have a great night.

disclaimer: the above recipes are written poorly and their performance in your kitchen is 100% your own fault, doing and liability. The author of the above post claims absolutely no responsibility for anything ever....especially not as related to writing down recipes or other such cooking advice. Entertainment factor is based on my own personal household experiences and the fact that my family is very easy to entertain (see dripping faucet post)and should not be attempted without proper thought, education, protection and above all else PRAYER.