Some of our Favorite Family Recipes

I've been writing a post about how I'm teaching my oldest five kids to cook.  As I tried to link to the recipes we've chosen to use,  I realized that many of our family favorite recipes are simply ones we've used for many, many years and are not necessarily easy to find on the internet.  Some are from my mother-in-law, an amazing cook, some from my mom, and some are just some we've had shared with us over the years.

In my post, I link to the recipes from various cooking blogs.  Here are the ones from our family recipe book:

Oatmeal Pancakes

2 ½ c. milk

2 c. rolled oats

4 eggs

2 T. vegetable oil

1 c. whole wheat flour

6 T. sugar

2 t. baking powder

½ t. salt

½ t. cinnamon

Combine milk and oats in large mixing bowl.  Allow oats to soak for at least five minutes.  Beat the eggs, then add eggs and oil to the oats.  Mix well.  Stir in the other ingredients.  Makes 20 or so 4-inch pancakes

Porcupine Balls

3 cans tomato soup

1 ½ cans water

Simmer the soup and water.  Meanwhile, mix the following:

1 ½ lb. hamburger

1-2 eggs

½ c. rice

Salt and pepper to taste (pepper adds a great flavor)

½ chopped onion

1/3 chopped green pepper

Drop by spoonfuls into hot soup.  Simmer 45 minutes, then serve over rice.

Company Chicken

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 slices swiss cheese (or a substitute)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can milk

Stove Top Stuffing Mix

1 can tomatoes w/lime juice and cilantro

1-2 garlic cloves

Place chicken in greased 9 x 13 pan.  Place slice of cheese on each.  Mix soup with milk and pour over chicken.  Stir stuffing mix with can of tomatoes and chopped garlic, then layer on top of chicken and soup mixture.  Cook for 45 minutes at 375

Tanya Killian’s Rolls                        

1 c. sugar                    

4 T. yeast

4 ½ c. warm water

Mix, then add:

4 eggs, beaten

½ c. butter

4 t. salt

4 cups flour

Mix, then gradually add about 8 more cups of flour.  You want a soft dough, but not runny.  Let rise for 1 hour in a greased bowl.  Roll into 48 or 60 rolls and place on 2 greased jelly roll pas.  Let rise, covered with tea towel, for one hour.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or 350 for 20 or so minutes, until the bottom has browned.

Homemade Pizza

3 c. water

2 T. yeast

1-2 T. sugar

1-2 T. oil

Mix the ingredients above, wait five minutes, then add enough flour to make a dough (dough is ready when it is pulling nicely away from the sides of the bowl).  Let rise about 30 minutes.  Roll out, put in pans, add your favorite pizza toppings, and cook for 12-15 minutes at 450.  Makes three crusts.  Note:  our favorite trick for yummy pizza is to add caraway seeds – it adds a great flavor to any type of pizza.

Lasagna

Lasagna noodles (usually 1 ½ boxes)

1 lb. Ground Beef or Sausage

Onion, chopped

Spaghetti sauce with some added water

8-12 oz. mozzarella cheese.

Cheese mixture:

1 lb. ricotta or cottage cheese

½ t. salt

1/3 c. Parmesan cheese

1 T. dried Parsley

1-2 raw eggs

Pepper

Layer lasagna, cheese mixture, mozzarella, sauce.  Then repeat several more times.  End with cheese and sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 45 minutes covered, plus 10 minutes uncovered.

Hamburger Stroganoff

1 lb. hamburger

1 onion, chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Salt and pepper

1 cup milk

Sour cream

Brown hamburger and onion.  Add soup and milk.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer 15 minutes.  Add salt and pepper and sour cream just before serving.  Serve over rice or pasta.

Tortilla Soup

2 cans chicken broth

1 can corn

1 can Mexican tomatoes

1-2 cans beans

Cooked chicken, optional

Mix and warm ingredients and serve over cheese and chips

Chicken Curry

3 T. butter

¼ c. chopped onion

1 ½ t. curry powder (can increase this for more kick)

Melt butter in skillet and add the onion.  Add curry powder.  Saute.  Then add:

3 T. flour

¾ t. salt

¾ t. sugar

1/8 t. ginger

Slowly add:

1 c. milk

1 c. chicken broth

Cook until thickened and add:

½ t. lemon juice

2 c. diced cooked chicken

Heat through and serve over rice with condiments such as peanuts, almonds, pineapple, hard-boiled egg, pickle relish, coconut, raisins, bacon bits, chopped red or yellow onion, tomato, chow mein noodles.