Pork Stew with Irish Soda Bread

These two delicious recipes swirl together to form a perfect meal (and perfect leftovers) for cold winter nights. The stew takes longer than the bread, but they are both worth the time they take. 

(Thanks, Mark, for the mouth-watering Facebook photo that led to the asking for, and giving of, these recipes.) 

ENJOY!

SAVORY PORK STEW:

3 lb. boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-1/2- to 2-inch pieces.  (Note that sometimes this is really fatty.  I had a 4lb shoulder, and by the time I'd trimmed out most of the fat there was barely 3lbs left.)

2-3 oz. thick-cut bacon cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 to 3 Tbs. coconut oil or olive oil; more as needed  (You can use vegetable oil, I just don't like to)

Kosher (preferred) salt and pepper

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)

2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 carrot, coarsely chopped (about 1/3 cup)

1-2 Tbs. minced chipotles in adobo (I'd make it 3, it wasn't spicy at all really)

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbs. minced fresh oregano (or 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried)

1 cup beer (I used Black Butte Porter from Deschutes Brewery, but Edmund Fitzgerald Porter or Salvator double bock would be interesting too.  These have good flavors that aren't overpowering and they complement the stew well. You could also substitute a red wine, or just use water -- but I don't recommend that.  You're using it as a deglazing liquid and it gets boiled and then stewed for a long time so all of the alcohol should boil away - so you don't need to worry about your kids.)

2-1/2 cups chicken broth  (I prefer the swanson or central market brands if I'm not making my own)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Core vegetables:

6 cups total of Shallots, Carrots, Potatoes, and red peppers.

I actually went over a bit.  I used 1 shallot (quartered), 2 3/4 cups potatoes, 2 3/4 cups of carrots, plus what was supposed to be 3 roasted red peppers, but turned out to be 1 because two had gone bad.  :-)

Position a rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat the oven to 325 degrees F. (You want it to be hot and ready, but I tend to delay this until the last couple batches of meat are done so I'm not wasting energy.)

Spread the pork on paper towels to dry for 10 to 20 minutes before browning. (You can use this time to chop the veggies and dice the chipotle peppers). If the meat is very wet, pat it dry first.

In a 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, cook the bacon in 1 tbsp. of the oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned but not crisp, (6 to 8 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside. Do not wipe out the pan!

 If your bacon was really lean - you might need to add some oil.  You want about 3tbsp worth in the bottom of the pan.  You'll want it good and hot. Season about one-fourth of the pork with salt and pepper and arrange it in a single layer in the pot (there should be at least 1/2 inch of space between the pieces).  (Personally - I find it takes smaller batches for my dutch oven - but yours might be larger.) Brown well on at least 4 sides, adjusting the heat as necessary; each batch should take about 10 minutes to brown. Transfer the pork to a bowl.  Repeat with the rest of the pork, seasoning with salt and pepper before browning. Once all of the pork is browned, remove the pot from the heat to let it cool for a few minutes.

Pour all but 2 Tbs. of the fat from the pot. (If there is not enough, add oil to equal 2 Tbs.) Return the pot to medium heat, then add the onion, celery, and (single) carrot. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spatula, until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the chipotles, garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.  Return the bacon to the pot.

Add the beer, stirring with the wooden spatula to dissolve any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Raise the heat to medium high and boil to reduce by about half, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and 1-1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil.

Return the pork to the pot along with any accumulated juice. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer.

Crumple a 12x16-inch piece of parchment paper, then flatten it out. (Crumpling makes it easier to manage.) Place the parchment directly on the surface of the stew, allowing the ends to come up the sides of the pot. Cover and put in the oven for 30 minutes.

During this time, chop the carrots, potatoes and shallot.  The carrots and potatoes should be in decent sized chunks.  The shallots can be added whole if they're small or quartered if large.  If you have more time, this is a good time to roast the red peppers.  (Unless you just bought them roasted.)  Just use an open flame (grill, gas stove, whatever) to char every inch of the surface.  When this is done, put the peppers into a bowl and cover it tightly with plastic wrap.  The longer it can sit like this and steam the better.  

After the 30 minutes are up, add the carrots, potatoes, and shallots to the pot. Cover with the parchment paper and lid, and return it to the oven for another 30 minutes. 

Towards the end of this time, take the peppers out of the bowl and with a pair of tongs (if they're still hot) and a knife scrape off the skin.  It should come off fairly easily.  Then slit the pepper from stem to base and cut around the stem - the stem and the seeds should come out easily.  Cut the rest of the way through, and wipe away any seeds and cut out what membrane you can.  Then chop.

When that second 30 mins is up, add the peppers. Cover with the parchment paper and lid, return the pot to the oven, and cook until the pork is fork-tender, about an hour more. 

Stir in the cilantro.  I also like to, degrease the stew by laying a clean paper towel over the surface of the stew and gently pushing it into all the bumps and dips, then quickly peeling it off - repeating as needed till you don't see the sheen of oil on the surface. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Now -- I find that the stew is always better the next day.  So I like to let it cool to room temperature, put it in the fridge, and then warm it up in the oven again the next day (usually ~300 degrees until hot).  Or at least - that's the idea.  I've not yet done it a day ahead as everyone wants to eat it.  I did manage to make it in time for lunch and let it sit at room temp all day and then heat it for dinner though -- definitely worth it. 

IRISH SODA BREAD RECIPE:

The bread is actually really easy to make. Preheat the oven to 450. Make sure you do this first! Once you finish mixing the dough you need to get it in the oven quickly, you can't let it sin while it preheats. Lightly flour a baking pan now too.

Sift together a pound of flour (3 & 1/3 c. sifted-- not packed-- flour), 3/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt in a largish bowl. Make a well in the center, and pour in about 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk. 

Using your hands mix it together. Spread your fingers out like a rake and mix it in a circle around the bowl. You want a light touch here, and don't overdo it. The baking soda interacts with the buttermilk to create air pockets in the dough and you don't want to break them. Just mix until it starts coming together well. You might need to add more buttermilk - just do it ~ a tbsp at a time or you risk getting it too moist.

Scrape the dough out onto a well floured surface and shape it into a round. A little over six inches across and about an inch and a half high in the center (no higher!). Then flip it over onto the pan so the floured side is up and make a shallow X cut from side to side about 1/4" deep. This cut isn't just in the top, it stems all the way from edge to edge.

Put it in the oven for about 15 mins, then lower the temperature to 400 and bake until it's brown and sounds hollow when you tap the bottom (20-30 mins). I prefer to rotate the bread when I drop the temp as well - it promotes more even baking/browning.

Let it cool completely before cutting. 

It's really fast to make, and doesn't require anything special. (If you didn't know, you can even make the buttermilk for this pretty easily because of the chemistry being used. Just measure out a cup and a half of milk and add a tbsp and a half of white vinegar to it and let it sit for ~20 mins.)

Pretty sure this is the easiest bread recipe I know, and it's definitely the quickest.

My FAVORITE Most-Used Knife EVER

It's a 7-inch hollow-edge Santoku knife. Santoku is just a fancy word for Chef's knife that has a brilliant edge but lays flat to the board (rather than curving). It has become my go-to knife for pretty much everything.

Sturdy enough to cut through something hard like acorn squash, but light enough to slice onions, thin-slice potatoes, chop garlic… it holds up to whatever you put it through, and keeps chopping beautifully. I love the weight and feel of this Wusthof. It's a touch pricey, but for a gal like me who's in the kitchen multiple times a day cooking for a hungry crew, the cost per use is pennies, even in just one year's time. I got mine over two years ago and it's still going strong, and is absolutely my favorite knife in the world. I highly recommend it!

Amazon sells it in this lovely set:
Wusthof Classic 2-Piece Asian Santoku and Paring Knife Set

Creamy Bacon Parmesan Pasta

Just made this sauce on a whim and I want to write it down so I won't forget to make it again.  I served it over medium pasta shells, and it was a hit with everyone in the family! Start to finish, this takes about 15-20 minutes to complete.  Serves 6-8.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil or butter, or some mix of the two
• 1/4 c. chicken broth, then also 1 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 1/4 - 1/3 c. flour
• garlic salt
• salt
• pepper
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
• 10 thick slices of bacon-- the good thick, real stuff, not Oscar Mayer/whatever, chopped against the width/grain (so each piece of bacon in your sauce is roughly 1 inch long, but in thin slices, hope that makes sense-- I stacked the strips of bacon into one tall stack, and sliced down the stack, widthwise)
• 1 c. heavy cream 
• 1 1/2 c. whole milk
• Shaved parmesan/asiago/romano cheese to taste

Heat the oil/butter over med-high heat, with 1/4 c. chicken broth and add the chopped onion.  Lightly salt the onions.  Cook 3 minutes, or longer, until softened w/ good aroma.  (While the onions are sauteeing, put water in your pasta pot and start your water boiling.) Add in the bacon and garlic.  Cook approx. 5-8 minutes, still on med-high heat, until meaty part of bacon has turned bright red and is cooked, but not hardened.  Add in 1/2 tsp. salt, and as much flour as is necessary to soak up the oil/juices into the flour.  This will be similar to a roux, except your meat is already in there.  Make sure you scrape the bottom clean, to get up any flavorful bits and keep it from sticking.  Now, add your remaining chicken broth, stir in, and then add your cream, stirring occasionally.  Add in 1/2 tsp. garlic salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary.  Stir until thickened, then add in the whole milk, and wait for the sauce to thicken again.  (This whole thickening process can take anywhere from 1-3 minutes.)

Serve over the hot pasta of your choice, and use shaved parmesan/asiago/romano generously to garnish the top.  Enjoy!  (We just did!)

Skillet Elbow Pasta

Got this recipe off the side of a De Cecco pasta box, and I don't want to forget to try it:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. elbow pasta
• 3 ounces chopped bacon or pancetta
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 4 Tbsp. fresh cream
• 4 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 3 Tbsp. chopped onion
• Salt

Cook the elbow pasta for 5 minutes in boiling salt water.  In a skillet, saute the chopped onion in butter until golden brown.  Combine the tomato paste with a little water in a cup and add to the skillet.  Then pour the drained pasta into the skillet & remove from heat.  Mix, and add the 3 Tbsp of fresh cream.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese & serve.

Sounds delicious, doesn't it?

Pumpkin Cornbread

This sounds intriguing:

Pumpkin Cornbread (from LLL's Whole Foods for the Whole Family cookbook)

2 tsp oil
1/3 c. honey
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 c. mashed cooked pumpkin
1/4 c. cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 c. dry milk powder

Combine oil, honey, eggs and vanilla in bowl. Stir in pumpkin. Combine cornmeal, baking powder, salt and dry milk powder. Add to egg mixture, stirring to moisten. Pour into greased 5x9 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes; invert onto wire rack to cool completely. 6 servings.

Note: Be sure to cook for the entire 40 minutes even if you think the edges are going to be over done. It is extremely moist and needs the cooking time to be done in the middle. 

Chinese Green Beans

This is my FAVORITE way to eat green beans, taught to me by a friend who was born and lived in China until she was about 40 years old.  It is packed with flavor and absolutely delicious.

• Buy fresh green beans from the produce section.  (1 pound will make one serving for a family of four.  2 pounds will give you enough for either a couple families, or to have a bit for leftovers.)
• 1-2 large yellow sweet vidalia onions, sliced.
• garlic (either 2 garlic heads or 2 Tbsp. of garlic), chopped
• Salt & Pepper
• Canola oil

(1) Take your green beans to a cutting board and line them up, 10-20 at a time, with the ends all pushed to the same height, and then cut off the ends.  Flip the beans, line them back up, and cut off the opposite ends as well.  

(2) Take each bean, and slice end to end in long lines (3-4 long, skinny slices to a bean pod).  Place in a separate mixing bowl/plate.

(3) Repeat steps 1 & 2 until you're through the whole bunch.

(4) Pour enough canola oil into the frying pan to cover the bottom of the pan, and heat over high heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

(5) Place the thin onion slices into the oil & cook until softened and they become more caramelized.

(6) Next, pour the green beans over the top of the onions, and carefully stir and fold the green beans until all are moistened with oil.  Then, top with a lid and leave to cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so (replacing the lid each time).   The heat should stay on high heat.   About 10 minutes into cooking, add in garlic and season with salt & pepper, and cook at least 5 minutes longer.  Once the beans are a nice dark green color and softened, and the onions are all browned, remove from heat and serve.

I hope you love these as much as I do!!!   Enjoy.

Spanish Rice

Long-grain rice

Vegetable oil

Tomato paste

water

garlic salt

chicken bouillion cubes

red pepper flakes

In a small omelet-size frying pan (or the bottom of a saucepan), cover the bottom in corn oil. (***If you have extra or want to include it, you can toss in one small chopped onion to the oil at this point.***) Then add in the amount of rice you'd like to use (we generally do 1-2 cups for our family if we're having it as an add-on to our meal). Saute just a minute or two until the rice turns clear and is coated in the oil.

Then, cook rice as you normally would, but to your normal rice & water pot, FOR EACH CUP OF RICE, add in:

• 2 cups water
• 1-2 tsp. tomato sauce
• 1/2-1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 chicken bouillion cube
• red pepper flakes to taste.

Pancakes & Syrup

Here are my go-to from scratch recipes for pancakes and maple syrup.

• Homemade pancakes
• Homemade maple syrup (yes, it's fake, but overseas, it's a great pinch-hitter)

Tempura Batter

This recipe is from my Japanese friend, Ai, who spent several family holidays with us during college, and taught us this basic recipe.

• 1 egg
• 2 c. ice water
• 2 c. flour

Combine, and coat fish, shrimp, veggies, whatever you want, in this batter, drop into frying oil, fry, and serve over rice! Delicious.

Kristy's Enchilada Sauce

This one is very non-specific, and I'm sorry about that. I just wrote down the basics when my friend made it several years ago, and I'm basically posting it here to remind myself.

• Sautee garlic & 1/2 onion in butter.
• Add: milk, sour cream, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (is this the same as paprika? I can't remember...)

Use this to pour over whatever kinds of enchiladas you want.

For chicken enchiladas: Flour/Corn tortillas, each with shredded chicken & salsa inside.

Bread Machine- Country White Bread

This is a classic white bread recipe, good with butter, or for sandwiches. It's intended for use in a bread machine.

1 cup + 1 Tbsp warm (not hot) water

2 & 3/4 cups bread flour (all-purpose works OK too)

2 Tbsp dry milk

3 Tbsp sugar

1 & 1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp butter/margarine, cut into 4 pieces (total)

2 tsp active dry yeast

1. Add water to the pan.
2. Then add dry ingredients, except yeast, to the pan. Tap bread pan to settle ingredients, then level with spoon or spatula, pushing some of the mixture into the corners.
3. Make 4 little "wells" on each corner of the pan, and place 1 piece of butter or margarine in each well.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; add yeast.
5. Lock pan into bread maker and set for regular (Basic/Specialty) cycle. Choose desired bread color.
6. Remove from pan when ready and let cool on metal rack.

It is easy to make up 5-10 baggies of this bread mix at a time, and then just add your water, butter, and yeast to the pan when you're ready to bake bread.

White Hot Chocolate

2 c. heavy cream

6 c. whole milk

12 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 block dark chocolate

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate into curls; set aside.
2. Place white chocolate in medium heat-proof bowl; set aside.
3. Place milk & cream in medium saucepan set over medium heat until bubbles begin to form around the edges of the pan (about 4 mins). Do NOT boil.
4. Remove mixture from the flame. Immediate pour over white chocolate. When chocolate begins to melt, gently stir to combine.
5. Whisk in vanilla. Continue whisking until light foam forms.
6. Serve immediately. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

Recipe makes 8 cups.

Cuban-style Black Beans

This recipe is for a 1 kg bag of black beans. To do a 1-pound bag, you'd need to divide everything in this recipe by half, and then use slightly less than that amount. Sorry I can't be more specific.

Ingredients:

1000 g. bag dried black beans (sort them, and pull out any bad beans or -gasp!- stones)

1-2 garlic heads, crushed

4 Tbsp. dried oregano

1 bay leaf

4 Tbsp. olive oil

2 lg. yellow onions, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 Tbsp. cumin

2 jalepeno peppers, seeded & chopped

4 Tbsp. vinegar (I use lemon vinegar, it's all we have here, and it works fine.)

salt & pepper to taste

STEP ONE:

Presoak the beans. Choose one of the following (don't do both):

• Boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat, and let stand for 2 hours. (I prefer this method, and think the beans are less smushy this way.)
• Soak beans for 8 hours overnight in fridge.

After soaking beans, drain in strainer & rinse with cool water.

STEP TWO:

Return beans to pot or dutch oven. Then add:

• 8 c. water
• 12+ cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 Tbsp. crushed oregano
• 1 bay leaf

Bring to boil. Simmer 2 hours. Drain & return to pot.

STEP THREE:

In small skillet, heat 4 tsp. olive oil. Add 2 lg onions (chopped) & chopped red bell pepper. Heat until softened. Add 2 Tbsp cumin & 2 seeded & chopped jalepeno peppers. Heat 1 minute more.

STEP FOUR:

Add 4 Tbsp. vinegar & onion mixture to beans. Salt & pepper to taste.

If desired, these beans can then be mixed with 2 cups of rice to make black beans and rice, or added to soups, casseroles, Black Bean & Corn salsa (add in chopped red onions, 1 bag frozen corn, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and 2 chopped tomatoes), or any other Mexican dish you can dream up. We often use them as one of the options for make-your-own burritos with large groups of guests. They're delicious just by themselves too! Enjoy!

Double-Crust Pie Dough

This crust is great for pies, and awesome for quiche. Crispy, with just a hint of sweetness... it's a great crust.

2 & 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

8 Tbsp. shortening, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

6-8 Tbsp. ice water

Put 1/2 cup of water in the freezer to be used in a few minutes.

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in food processor. Sprinkle shortening over the top and proces until it looks like sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter butter and pulse 10 times. Mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. DON'T OVERPULSE. Better to need to mix more than to over mix.

Sprinkle 6 Tbsp of ice water over the mixture, and press the dough together with a rubber spatula. If the dough is still not coming together, add ice water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until it can be mixed.

Divide the dough into 2 portions, pressing each portion into a flat 4-inch disc. Cover each disc with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. *** Remove dough & roll to fit into pie plate.

(*** At this point in the recipe, the dough can be frozen for future use, for up to 2 months***)

Sesame Chicken

(Thanks to my friend Jamie for introducing us to this recipe!)

• 1 pound chicken, chopped
• Coat in 1 part flour/1 part cornstarch
• Fry on stovetop in small amount of oil
• Brown sesame seeds in pan in small amount of oil
• Mix together the following for sauce:
  

  - 1 c. water
  - 1 c. sugar
  - 1/4 c. vinegar
  - 4 Tbsp. soy sauce
  - 2 Tbsp. cornstarch

• Add to fried chicken pieces, and stir until thickened.
• Add sesame seeds, and serve over rice.

Classic Cream Scones

(from my friend Wendy)

Yields about 14 scones

2 c. flour

1/4 c. granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 c. chilled unsalted butter

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 lg. egg

1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg mixed w/ 1 tsp water (for glaze)

Preheat oven to 425.

In large bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes and distribute over flour mixture, cutting into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In small bowl, stir together cream, egg, and vanilla. Add cream mixture to flour mixture until combined.

With lightly floured hands, pat dough onto lightly floured cutting board/counter to a 1/2 inch thickness. Using a floured biscuit cutter (or pizza cutter), cut out desired shapes.

Lightly brush scones with glaze if desired, then bake 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Fresh Pesto

(Great recipe for when you have an overabundance of basil leaves to use up!)

3 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves

2 garlic cloves

3/4 c. fresh parsley

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 c. melted butter

1/3 c. parmesan

Salt to taste.

Process all ingredients in food processor or blender. Serve over freshly cooked pasta, top with parmesan cheese. You can freeze extra in baggies or ice cube trays for future use.

Lasagna Worth Making

This lasagna happens in several steps. Yes, it takes time to make lasagna... but I guarantee that this lasagna is worth making. Well, I think so anyway... and everyone I've ever served it to has said it's the best lasagna they've ever tasted. So give it a whirl, and tell me if you agree.

Lasagna Worth Making

Sauce Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1-2 yellow onions

olive oil

1 garlic head

5-8 large tomatoes (or 28 oz. in cans)

6 oz. tomato paste

2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

pinch of red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp dried basil (or 1 Tbsp fresh, chopped basil)

1 bay leaf

2 cups water

1. Chop up your onions and garlic. Onions can be diced... garlic needs to be minced.
2. Sautee your onions in olive oil in the frying pan, just enough to coat the onions. Once softened, add in your beef and brown the meat.
3. While meat is browning, chop up your tomatoes.
4. Once meat is browned, add in everything else on the list above: (garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, red pepper flakes, sugar, basil, bay leaf, and water). Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to lowest setting. Simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occasionally. Sauce will reduce and thicken.

While sauce is cooking, make the following:

Ricotta cheese filling:

8-10 ounces ricotta cheese (leave undrained)

2 large eggs, beaten

whole milk (maybe)

parsley (if you have it)

• Combine ricotta cheese with 2 beaten eggs. If thick, add a Tbsp or so of milk until it is a smooshable consistency. That's right, I said smooshable.
• If you have parsley, add in about 1 tsp of parsley. Fresh is even better. If not, don't sweat it!

Also, you'll need 1 box lasagna noodles (specifically, you'll need 12 noodles), 1 cup of water and roughly 1 pound shredded mozzerella or meltable white cheese (for those here in Turkey with me, I like the white cheese found at Bim... it comes in 1 kilo blocks, and has a mountain scene on the package. It's the best cheese I've found for general use like this).

Once the sauce is ready, you'll want to have all your ingredients around your 9 x 13 baking dish. To make your lasagna, do the following:

• First, take a serving spoon-ful of the liquidy sauce at the top of the sauce pan, and use it to coat the bottom of the baking dish. This will serve as your greasing of the pan.
• Then, you'll want to proceed in the following order, repeating yourself 4 times (so for each layer, you'll want to use approximately 1/4th of whatever ingredient you're pulling from.):

1. Lasagna noodles-- 3 across
2. Ricotta cheese-- use approximately one heaping forkful on each noodle. Then use your fork to smash down and spread across the noodles. It won't cover it, and that's fine, just get it to where it's evened out throughout the pan, across the noodles.
3. Sauce-- A few serving-spoon-fuls across the cheese mixture. Try to spread it out, but remember to just use about 1/4th of the sauce for each layer. It should almost cover the layer below. (This is where you get to be Madam Chef. If things look a bit dry, use some of that 1 cup of water to just pour over this layer. We want the noodles to fully cook, and so you can just add a splash of water here or there as needed in this layer. Have confidence in yourself... it won't likely mess up either way!)
4. Shredded cheese. Use slightly less than 1/4th of the cheese for each layer, so that you can completely cover the dish on the top layer.

That's it.

Then stick it in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is nice and browned, and the sauce is no longer liquidy. This is one of my prized recipes, for company, and just for enjoyment by our family as well. I hope you enjoy it too.

P.S. - this meal is easily doubled and you can serve one to your family, and take another to a friend who just had a baby, just had surgery, etc. Lasagna is a classic meal for those circumstances, but homemade is even more of a treat!

MamaJo's Chili

We love this chili... delicious, and fairly easy to make:

• Sautee 1-2 lg. onions in vegetable oil.
• Then add & brown 1 lb. ground beef
• Add:
  

  1 minced garlic (not one clove, one garlic)
  1 Tbsp. chili powder
  1 tsp salt
  1 tsp cumin
  1 tsp oregano
  1 Tbsp cocoa
  1/2 tsp red pepper sauce (I never have this, so I add a good few dashes of red pepper flakes)
  16 oz. diced tomatoes (I just eyeball this, and dice up 4-8 good-sized tomatoes)
  *** I also add in about 1/2 c. tomato paste & 1-2 cups of water, but this is optional, and not part of the original recipe.***

• Bring to a boil, then let simmer one hour, stirring occasionally. Then add a 15 ounce can of kidney beans (don't drain it). Let simmer an additional 15-20 minutes, then serve.

Delicious by itself, with crackers, over hot dogs, over Fritos, or any other way you can dream up. Everyone but my dainty daughter loves this chili... and we can forgive her; her tastebuds aren't fully developed. :)

[UPDATE- as of 10/19/2012, even Maranatha loves this chili.  She called it "soup" but we can forgive her that too.  :) ]

Pizza Crust

Best recipe I've found:

Jay's Signature Pizza Crust

In addition to making a great pizza, I've also rolled it out even thinner and then used it to make pizza rolls. (For that, you just roll it out thin, cover it in pepperoni and cheese, and then roll up, beginning at the widest side. Then, cut the rolled "log" into 1/2-inch slices. Cook @ 425 for 15 minutes.) That, too, comes out sensational.