Mom's Recipe Collection

After cooking thousands of meals over hundreds of months, I have dozens of recipes in my brain. To pass them down to my kids - Steven, Andrew and William - I am immortalizing them here on Squidoo for the rest of you hungry people who enjoy cooking down-home fare without a lot of fanfare. These are yummy dishes that don't require a Ph.D. (although that doesn't hurt) to prepare.

Easy to feed a crowd and still get kudos.

2 quarts water

1 tsp + ½ tsp salt, divided

1 tsp. + 1 tbsp. chili powder, divided

3 medium chicken breasts

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, chopped

22 oz. pasta sauce, Four Cheese or Garlic & Onion

1 cup medium salsa

4 chicken bullion cubes

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garlic

1 tsp. pepper

1 can corn, drained

1 ½ cups tortilla chips, crushed

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup cilantro

In a medium saucepan, boil chicken breasts in water with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp. chili powder until done, about 15 minutes (longer if breasts are frozen.) Remove from water and allow to cool, then chop or shred. In the meantime, in a large saucepan, sauté onion and carrots until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add 6 cups of the water the chicken was cooked in to the pot. Add next 8 ingredients plus 1 tbsp. chili powder and cook until almost boiling, making sure bullion cubes are dissolved. Turn off heat and add chicken, cheese, and sour cream. Stir until cheese is melted. Top with cilantro and serve. Makes 6 - 8 servings.

Tips: Want it spicier? Add Pepper Jack Cheese along with the Cheddar or dice in some jalapeno. For milder soup, use mild salsa. Have leftovers? Whip a cup or so of cold soup with a few jalapenos and a block of cream cheese for a zesty dip to serve with - you guessed it - tortilla chips.

They'll be saying "Irish I had some more!" when it's all gone!

4 quarts water

6 potatoes

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cups milk

3 tbsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. flour

12 oz. beer

3 cups beef bullion

½ tsp. dill weed

16 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

½ cup sour cream

2 tsp. salt (or more)

1 tsp. pepper

In 4 quarts water, boil potatoes until tender. While potatoes are cooking, sauté onion in 2 tbsp. olive oil. When potatoes are done, break up and place in a food processor or large mixing bowl. Do not remove skins. Add sautéed onions and milk and puree until smooth.

In a large saucepan (the largest you have), heat remaining 3 tbsp. olive oil and add flour. Stir with whisk or fork until almost brown. Add beer and beef bullion, stirring constantly. Mixture will thicken. Remove from heat and add potato puree, dill, and cheese. Heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add sour cream, salt, and pepper. Serves 5. (Note: if soup is too thick, add more milk or water)

Tips: For spicier soup, use Pepper Jack Cheese. Chopped ham makes this soup a bit ...hammier.

Yummy for a group!

1 red onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped (optional)

2 stalks celery, chopped (optional)

1 lb. ground beef, chopped (just kidding)

24 oz. Zesty Pasta Sauce or regular tomato sauce

3 or 4 - 16 oz. cans beans, (kidney, pinto, or black)

1 can corn (drained)

1 tsp. cumin

1 tbsp. chili powder (more if you want it spicier)

1 tsp. garlic

2 tbsp. brown sugar

Salt and pepper

Chopped jalapeno (optional)

Shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional)

Sour Cream (optional)

Saute red onion, bell pepper (optional), and ground beef until beef is brown. Add next 6 ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with optional ingredients. Makes 4 - 5 servings

Steven's friend Quinn is my fourth son and loved cooking at our house

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 potatoes, cooked and cubed

1 onion, chopped

4 oz. ham or bacon, chopped

10 eggs

2 tbsp. milk

½ cup corn

8 oz. cheddar cheese

Salt & pepper

Salsa

In a large frying pan, cook potatoes until brown on all sides. Add ham or bacon and stir. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and milk and add to pan. Cook until eggs are done. Add corn, cheese, salsa, and salt and pepper to taste. Quinn would toss almost any kind of leftovers (veggies, beef stew, apple pie) into this dish while cooking. Serves at least 4.

This will rival your favorite pizzaria's pie!

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough:

1 c. hot water (about 115 degrees)

1 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. yeast

2 cups + 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. olive oil

If you are not using a pre-made crust, add the sugar to the hot water until dissolved. Add the yeast to the sugar water and stir. In a stand mixer or bread maker, add 2 cups flour, salt and garlic powder. Once the yeast liquid is foamy, add to the flour mixture along with the olive oil and mix well. Add the remaining flour gradually and work dough until soft and not sticky.

Pizza Topping:

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken sausage

1/2 chopped or sliced onion

1 large chopped green or red pepper

1/2 cup pizza sauce

6 oz. mozzarella cheese

Cook sausage, onions and peppers in a pan until meat is cooked and vegetables are slightly softened. Oil a pizza baking pan or stone and spread dough until it is about 1/8" thick. Top with pizza sauce. With a slotted spoon, remove sausage/onion/pepper mixture from pan and spread evenly over crust. Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake in a 425-degree oven for 20 minutes, or until edges of crust are brown.

Tips: Use any kind of sausage, but I prefer chicken basil sausage. Remove sausage from the casing before cooking to allow it to crumble easier. Other ingredients you can add before baking: fresh spinach leaves, feta cheese, olives, mushrooms.

Watch this space for more recipes like White Chicken Enchiladas Monterrey, Colorado Beef Stew and Cheeseburger Meatloaf.