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From our farm to yours, a collection of recipes that I have gathered from family, friends and cookbooks over the years and have decided to publish them for your enjoyment. Having prepared these dishes for my family and I now offer them for you and your family. Please enjoy and let me know how they turn out for you. Carolyn

Easy Lasagna

I got this recipe from the back of a Lasagna noodle box – it’s great.  

1 lb. Ground Beef
3 cups spaghetti sauce (about a 28 oz. bottle)
1 ½ cups water
1 15oz. container Ricotta Cheese or small curd cottage cheese
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese, divided
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley (but I use dried sometimes)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
9-10 pieces Lasagna, uncooked!  

Heat oven to 350 degrees.   In 3 qt. saucepan, brown meat; drain.  Add spaghetti sauce and water; simmer about 10 minutes.  In bowl, stir together ricotta, one half mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour about 1 cup sauce on bottom of 13x9 baking dish.   Arrange 3 uncooked pasta pieces lengthwise over sauce; cover with about 1 cup sauce.  Spread one-half cheese filling over sauce.   Repeat layers of pasta, sauce and cheese filling.  Top the layer of pasta and remaining sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.   Cover with foil.  Bake 45 minutes.  Remove foil, bake additional 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. 10-12 servings.  

If you want to cook the lasagna noodles – omit the addition of water to the spaghetti sauce.

CHOCOLATE  ICEBOX  PIE  

9-inch pie shell, baked
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Prepare baked pie shell. Cook condensed milk, chocolate and salt in top of double boiler over hot water until thick. Add water slowly and let thicken again. Stir in vanilla. Pour into pie shell; refrigerate. Serve cold with whipped cream on top.

Beer Braised BBQ Pork Butt (*********this is super good) (Dave Lieberman Food Network)

For the dry rub:
2 Tablespoons salt
About 40 grinds of black pepper
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground mustard seed
12 ounces good ale or dark beer
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 5 lb pork butt  

Combine rub ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Rub all over pork butt.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour and as long as overnight.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Unwrap pork and place in a roasting pan with sides about 2 inches high.   Cook 45 minutes until dark browned and even blackening in places.   Remove from oven.   Lower oven to 325 degrees.  Pour beer over the top and add chopped garlic around the pork.  Cover tightly with heavy duty foil.   Poke about 10 holes all over the top of the foil.  Cook pork butt 2 ½ hours longer until so tender that it comes away very easily from the center bone.

Place the meat in a pan (13 x 9) and pour the pan juice (there will be plenty) into a saucepan.  

To the pan juices add:
½ cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup dark brown sugar  

Bring to a simmer until reduced by half and thick, about 20 minutes.  

While the sauce is boiling down, pull apart the pork with 2 forks.   Pour the sauce over the pulled pork and work through until fully absorbed. This makes great sandwiches!

Horse clubs, organizations of any kind all have meetings and potlucks that you need to figure out “what would be the best and easiest type of dish to take”!!!   Most people don’t want to go to the trouble of making a Main dish, but here is a recipe that everyone will love and it isn’t hard!!!   Make it the night before and just heat it up – or make it the day of – this recipe makes a lot and is just perfect for those occasions.

BEEF WITH SQUASH

1 lb. Fresh yellow squash, sliced
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 lb. Lean ground beef
1 cup finely chopped green pepper
3 cups cooked rice
2 eggs beaten
1 can cream of celery, broccoli or any cream soup that you like.
½ cup of sour cream
1 tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper
1 cup grated provolone or Cheddar Cheese
Paprika

Cover the squash with water in a saucepan. Boil a few minutes, until barely tender. Drain and set aside.   Brown the meat with green pepper, onions and then add the cooked rice. Mix the eggs, soup, sour cream, salt and pepper.  Stir this mixture into the meat mixture and then gently mix in the squash. Transfer to a shallow baking dish (11 x 13), and sprinkle with cheese and paprika. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

This dish keeps and you’ll have tasty leftovers. Serve this with a green salad and bread and you’ve got a very hearty meal.

Enjoy!

TURKEY TACOS

This is soooo easy that you think it can’t be this good. But it is!!!

1 ½ pound ground turkey
1 10 oz. Jar your favorite chunky mild salsa
flour tortillas
cheese
shredded lettuce 

Brown the ground turkey – drain any liquid after the turkey is cooked.    Add the whole bottle of salsa and heat through.   Either steam your flour tortillas for a minute or two or microwave the tortillas until they’re warm and pliable.   Assemble your tacos and enjoy!  This is an extra fast meal for those times when you have very little time to prepare supper.

Refried beans and a little green salad are really good with this

TEXAS SHEET CAKE

This cake is a cross between a cake, cookie bar and candy.  I originally got this recipe from my mother but also have just found it in “The All-New Blue Ribbon Cookbook”.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 15 x 10-inch baking pan (jellyroll pan). 

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
½ tsp. Salt
1 cup butter
4 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
½ cup buttermilk or ½ cup milk plus 1 tsp. vinegar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 tbsp. Vinegar

Sift flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl.  In a medium saucepan, bring butter, cocoa and water to a boil, stirring frequently.   Pour over flour mixture, beating well.  Add buttermilk, eggs, soda, vanilla and vinegar.  Mix well.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake about 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

When the cake is nearly baked, prepare icing.  Spread warm icing on the cake while the cake is warm and in the pan. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired.  Cool the cake on a wire rack. 

Icing:
½ cup butter
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
3 ½ to 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
½ tsp. Vanilla
1 cup sliced almonds or chopped pecans

In a large saucepan, combine butter, cocoa and milk.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Heat until butter melts.  Remove from heat.  Beat in enough powdered sugar to make a spreading consistency.  Beat in vanilla and beat until icing is very smooth and creamy.   Spread while warm.