Spaghetti Sauce (made and canned for future use)

I got this recipe from Donna on October 1, 20111

Ingredients:

4 'ice cream pails' of tomatoes, scalded and then peeled.  To peel the tomatoes, you can watch a video about it on http://johndlee.hubpages.com/hub/How_to_peel_a_tomato


3 large onions, chopped quite finely
1/4 cup Canola oil OR  regular vegetable oil
2 tablespoons ground Basil
2 tablespoons ground Oregano
1 and 1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup canning salt
1/2 cup minced garlic

4 of 12-oz. tomato paste

Directions:

Cook above ingredients (except for the tomato paste) together for 1 hour. 

• Remove from heat and run through a Foley food mill to remove seeds, etc.
• Heat the strained mixture again until it reaches the boiling point; now add 4 of 12-oz. cans of TOMATO PASTE.
• After mixture reaches the boiling point, add the 4 of 12-ounce TOMATO PASTE.  Bring to a boil, again. 
• Remove from heat and run through a Foley food mill to remove seeds, etc.
• Ladle the hot mixture into sterilized and hot quart jars, and put lids/rings on.
• You could process this in boiling water bath for minimum of 35 minutes, but I prefer to finish it in a pressure cooker at 5 lbs. pressure for 20 minutes.

Donna's Easy Bean Dish

Originally (and a long time ago!), I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Donna.  If you would like to  make a quick 'n easy baked bean dish, you will really like this recipe!  And,... almost everyone within 'smelling range' will like how your kitchen smells!  I like taking this to picnics and other pot luck doings.


Combine and simmer for about 15-minutes on the stove top:

1 # lean bacon that's been fried, patted 'dry' and cut or crumbled
1 large onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dry yellow mustard powder


Pour the above hot mixture over the following:

2 cans (15-16 oz. each) drained butter beans
1 can (15-16 oz.) drained kidney beans
1 can (15-16 oz.) drained Lima beans
1 can (15-16 oz.) drained black beans
1 larger size (close to 30 oz.) Van Camps or Bush pork 'n beans with liquid.

Note:   I do save the combination of 'drained juices' only until after serving the beans.  Why?  For just in case they would end up being a little dry after a while.  If that should happen, which it usually does NOT, I could add a little 'bean juice' instead of anything else.

Gently mix beans together well, put into a casserole dish and bake for about 30-minutes, or into a crock pot for a couple of hours on low heat to simmer.

Donna's Zucchini Bread

Last night, while we were away, Pam baked six loaves* of this very tasty zucchini bread.  They were so beautiful, and the house smelled so-o-o-o-o-o-o-o great when we opened the door.

(Photo by me, Doris)

This is the recipe I got from Donna in the 1980's, and it's been my 'go to' ever since.

Preheat oven to 325-degrees and grease two 8"x4" loaf pans.

INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs
3/4 cup oil
2 cups grated zucchini
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
~~~
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
4 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 
3 cups all-purpose flour
~~~
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
~~~~

DIRECTIONS:

Beat eggs, add oil, zucchini, sugar and vanilla.  Mix well.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Divide for two small loaf pans (8"x4").  Bake at 325-degrees for 45-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Butter crusts.
......................................................
* Pam made 4 batches of this dough at a time and poured 3 and 1/2 cups of batter into each 9x5-inch loaf pan that were sprayed with Pam (baking variety) that has a combination of oil/flour in it.  By baking in the larger loaf pans, they get done in about an hour (because ovens vary, test with a toothpick stuck into the crack on its top).   She ended up with six large-sized loaves.  Remove from pans, butter the top, and cool on rack before packaging for freezer.

Donna's Cranberry Salad

Many years ago,  Donna C. wrote out and gave this recipe to me.  We like it a lot!

You will need:

Large size (6 oz.) raspberry Jell-O
1 and 1/2 cups boiling water
1 can (15-16 oz.) whole cranberries
~~~
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 can crushed pineapple with its liquid
1/2 cup very cold water
~~~
1 pint of sour cream


DIRECTIONS:

Add the Jell-O to the boiling water and stir constantly until sugar is dissolved.  Add cranberries.   Mix well.  Now add the chopped nuts, pineapple and the cold water. 

Pour only 1/2 of this into a 9x13-inch pan and let it get very firm.  Spread the pint of sour cream on the firm layer.  Spoon remainder of mixture over the sour cream layer and refrigerate until firm (for all day or overnight works best),

Donna's Chicken Soup (Part Cheat'r Style)

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

In a large kettle, bring a good amount of water to a full boil and then lower the temperature to  a 'slower boil' to cook a whole chicken with celery and onion for an hour (the chicken cooks faster if you cut it up before cooking).   Remove chicken and cut up while removing bones and skin-- save the broth and skim extra fat from top.  I sometimes strain the broth, but try to save some of the celery and onions pieces.  (When in a hurry, you can use a rotisserie chicken, and canned chicken broth.) 

To the saved broth, add the boned/skinned chicken and 2 boxes (packs) of Mrs. Grass' Chicken Noodle Soup-- the kind with the dissolvable 'golden egg' and flavor packet in it.  To make a larger quantity of soup, you can also add the very 'skinny' kind of egg noodles that are especially for soup.  Simmer until the added noodles are tender.  Then,....

Add dumplings which are made by combining the following ingredients and adding to the slow boiling soup by 1/2 teaspoonsful at a time:  4 eggs (slightly beaten), a pinch of salt, and just enough flour to make a stiff dough.  Leave over heat until the dumplings are cooked through and float (test to make sure).