Carol's Autumn Soup



Memo and I at the farm in 1973. Memo was about 20 months.

I got this recipe from my mom about 30 years ago! It is SO upstate New York! They lived in Barker, NY from 1972 - 1984. Dad was the Superintendent of the Barker School District and mom got her teaching degree at Niagara University and became a school teacher at a nearby district. Terri and Julie graduated from Barker Central School District. My son, Memo LOVED going to see Nana and Popie! He loved riding on the tractor with Popie. Playing basketball with Stephen. And swimming with Nana. It was a great place for the kids and me to go vacation!

It was hard work too! I was always tasked with weeding the garden while there! They would plant a huge vegetable garden on the side of the house and then at the end of the summer - the harvesting began. Mom would can vegetables and fruits. They also boxed and froze vegetables, strawberries and whatever they could. For a time they would even raise their own cattle and have that meat as well. My mom....pioneer woman!!

Carol's Autumn Soup

1tbsp vegetable oil

1lb ground beef - browned in 1/2 inch chunks

2 onions finely chopped

6 carrots - diced or a lg bag baby carrots diced

8 potatoes diced - peeled or unpeeled skin (I prefer peeled)

4 stalks celery
1/2 cabage shredded

2 8oz cans stewed tomatoes

4 cups water

3 beef bouillon cubes or 2 tbsp beef stock paste or 3 cans beef stock (omit water)

2 bay leaves

1tsp salt

2tsp pepper

In a large stock pot, add oil and crumble ground beef into the pot. Brown for about 5 mins. Drain off excessive oil. Then add the onion, carrots, celery and saute about 1 minute. Add stock or water with beef cubes or paste, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add cans of stewed tomatoes bring to boil again. Cook for about 10 minutes. Lastly, add the potatoes. Turn down the soup to low heat and cook about 2 hours. Serve hot with homemade wheat bread! OK buy hot french bread from the store!!! LOL

Crock pot method! Add oil and crumble ground beef into a frying pan. Brown for about 5 mins. Add the onion, carrots, celery and saute about 1 minute. Pour this entire mixture into crock pot. Add stock or water with beef cubes or paste, stewed tomatoes, bay leaves, salt and pepper stir and cook high heat for about 20 minutes. Lastly, add the potatoes. Turn down the soup to low heat and cook about 6 hours.

Autumn's Here! Carol's Apple Crisp



Me with Memo - 6 weeks old and Stephen on the shore of
Lake Ontario, NY

After living most of their lives in and about the New York metropolitan area, my dad took a job as Superintendent of Schools in Barker, NY. It is up along the fruit belt of New York south of Lake Ontario and between Buffalo and Rochester.....very cold country! They bought a farm and became part time farmers. They rented the land for cattle grazing. Got fresh milk from the farm down the street. Picked apples, pears, peaches and other fruits from local groves. And created a huge garden they tended to ...so did we if we were around!

Memo was 1 1/2 years old the first time he visited the farm. He loved Popie's tractor and watching the cows. Liz arrived at 5 weeks to visit the farm. We spend one Christmas there and got hit with about 4 ft of snow. The kids first time being in snow!

During that visit, I remember putting our clothes in a drawer in my old dresser upon arrival. One evening I went to grab something out of the drawer and a mouse surprised me!!! I screamed and shut the drawer. My brother, Stephen grabbed the drawer and took it downstairs and out the back door and dumped the contents of the drawer onto the open back porch. The mouse took off and ran around the side of the porch and into a crack under the basement door! That mouse was no dummy! He was not going to be outside in 10* below zero and 4 ft of snow. I put my things back into my suitcase and zipped it up from then on!



The farmhouse in Barker, NY



Carol's Apple Crisp:

Peel 6 apples - preferably Macintosh, Granny's or Braeburn - dice

1 cup flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar & 1 tsp cinnamon

Peel and dice the apples and place in a greased casserole dish. Mix together the flour, brown sugar, salt, egg and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples. Melt the butter and pour over the entire mixture. Then sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture over entire casserole dish.

Bake 350* for 1 hour.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream or both!!



Popie on the tractor moving piles of snow!



Stephanie's Zucchini Bread - tis the season!



Memo and Liz - photo taken while living in
N. Tonawanda, NY in 1982. Memo was 9 years
old and Liz was 5 years old.



I lived in Mexico 10 years, 8 years in Mexico City and 2 years in Monterrey, Mexico. After about the third peso/dollar devaluation. We decided we would NEVER be able to buy a home or afford to live the way we wanted to. So Jorge, Memo, Liz, two dogs and I moved to New York. We drove a U-Haul cross country and stayed with my parents for about 5 weeks. Jorge had been offered a job with a business consultant doing the computer installations in school districts and municipalities for his company. He office was in the Buffalo area so rented a large colonial in North Tonawanda, NY. 

Almost immediately, Jorge started traveling when the company won a large contract with Sullivan County and then an even larger one in Bellport School District on Long Island, NY. During the time of his travel, I depended on neighbors for help with the kids. I was substitute teaching at the time. Joan Reilly was the neighbor to our right and had 6 kids!  

Joan was very family oriented and with 6 kids on a tight budget, she cooked a lot! One day she invited me over and offered me a taste of her zucchini bread. It was delicious! I asked her for the recipe and she gave it to me but I have somehow lost it! The difference between her zucchini bread and most others is that she uses crushed pineapple! So after much experimentation, I discover my recipe using zucchini and crushed pineapple that cooks well and taste delicious!!

Zucchini Bread: (This recipe makes 2 loaves to share or freeze one!)

3 cups shredded zucchini - leave the skin on but wash

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

1 16oz can of crushed pineapple

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup raisins

Mix all the wet ingredients together then mix the dry ingredients and slowly hand mix them together adding the dry into the wet. Do not use a mixer as it disintegrates the zucchini, pineapple and raisins.

Grease 2 loaf pans - you could use a large 9" by 13" rectangular cake sheet and cut into squares.

Cook at 350* for 50-60 minutes. For high altitude add 1/4 more flour. For convection oven, cook only about 40-45 minutes.

Hawaiian Potato Salad



My cousin, Stacy, in 1961      



Last week we celebrated my brother, Stephen's 50th Birthday, my niece, Delaney's 12th and my 57th! I also found out that my cousin Stacy had a birthday at the beginning of the month too!Stephen and I are on the same day only 7 years apart. I decided to make it a Hawaiian Luau. I pick up some recipes out of cookbooks and also off the Internet. But as usual I did not like all the ingredients and switched all of them up. My most successful and different was the Hawaiian Potato Salad. I have shared it twice now to applause so I think it is time to make it part of the My Recipes & Traditions repertoire!




My cousin, Tammy, in 1961

 

Hawaiian Potato Salad:

2 sweet potatoes - peeled and diced

2 yams - peeled and diced

4 regular potatoes - peeled and diced

3 celery stalks - diced small

1/2 Spanish onion - diced small

1/4 cup sweet pickle relish

2 cups mayo - Best or Hellman's is my preference

1tbsp dill week

1tbsp salt

1tbsp white pepper - regular is OK too! White blends in to the white color better!



My cousin, Jeri Ann, in 1961.



Boil up the potatoes in a large pot with a dash of salt for 15-20 minutes - keep firm and NOT mushy!

Once cooked, drain immediately and pour cold water over it and re-drain. (This stops the cooking process immediately!) Let drain completely. In a large separate bowl, mix the onions, celery, mayo, relish, dill weed, salt and pepper thoroughly. Once the potatoes are room temperature mix the potatoes into the cream mixture - add more mayo (by the tbsp) until all the potatoes are covered in the cream mix. Now gently spoon into a serving bowl and cover. Keep refrigerated at least 4 hours then serve.

As some of you know, Stacy, Tammy and Jeri Ann and my siblings have been estranged for more than 50 years due to divorce. We are so blessed now to have them part of our lives I am so happy and look forward to the reunion - SOON!

Phyllis' Apple Dumplings



Dave, me and Phyllis at the Equestrian Center in July 2011 watching
Joe Nichols and Craig Morgan in concert!



I love our extended family! I get to have great friends, like my sister-in-law, Susan's mom, Phyllis. She and I have been great friends over the years obviously sharing similar interests in cooking, sewing and her grandchildren, Delaney and Morgan, my nieces. On her last visit to Colorado Springs, she left a couple of weeks ago, she taught me how to make her famous Apple Dumplings! I asked her the recipe and whether she gave me permission to post it and it is!

Phyllis' Apple Dumplings: Serving size 4

The sauce:

     2/3 cup sugar

     1 1/2 cup water

     2 tbsp butter
     1/4 tbsp cinnamon
 Bring to a boil until sugar is dissolved. Then turn off and set aside.

Core and peel 4 apples - Granny Smith, Macintosh, Braeburn - a good cooking apple - set aside

The Cinnamon Mixture: 

     1/3 cup sugar

     2 tbsp butter

     1 tbsp cinnamon

Mix together the cinnamon and the sugar. Cut the butter into slices. Set aside to add to the middle of the cored apple before wrapping with the dough. 

Making the dough for the apple dumplings:

3 1/2 cups of flour

1 1/2 cup Crisco Shortening

2 tsp salt

1/4 cup ICE WATER

Cut the shortening and salt into the flour with a pastry blender until mixture crumbles. Make a hole in the center of the mixture and slowly add the ICE WATER until dough rolls into a ball.

With a floured surface and floured rolling pin use 1/4 the ball and roll out large enough to cover 1 apple completely. Place the apple in the middle of the dough. Spoon 1 tbsp of the cinnamon/sugar mixture into the cored center of the apple and then add a pat of butter on top of the mixture. Start wrapping the dough around the apple pinching the dough together with wet fingers. Place the apples in a casserole dish pour the sauce over each apple and allow to drain to the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle each apple dumpling with sugar.

Bake @ 425* for 40-45 minutes or until dumpling tops are golden. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream!!

Thanks Phyllis!!!

Summer Fare - Summer Squash & Summer Squash Bisque



Memo and me swimming in the pool at Nana & Popie's Farm.



My parents and their parents grew vegetable gardens all their lives. When my parents moved to Barker in upstate New York. They had 128 acres of property with a home, garage, barns and other farm buildings. My dad finally realized a dream of having a large productive garden with all the fresh foods he and my mother loved. I used to take Memo and Liz there over the summer and always seemed to find myself weeding the garden. Weeding was never fun but once the vegetables were ready to eat...it was delicious fun! One of my favorites is yellow summer squash.

Summer Squash:

4-6 yellow summer squash - sliced

1 stick of butter

1 large onion - sliced

salt and pepper to taste

In a deep saute pan, add the butter and melt on low heat. Add sliced onion and some salt. Saute for about 5 minutes. Add the sliced yellow summer squash, pepper to taste and cover. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes or until the squash is wilted. Remove from heat and serve.



Me and a naked Memo with Morgan,
our family dog, after swimming.



Summer Squash Bisque:

1/8 cup olive oil

1 medium onion diced

2 stalks celery - diced

3 yellow squash - diced

1 sweet potato - peeled and diced

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 tbsp Turmeric

1 cup cream

1 tsp Pepper

Pour oil into soup pot. Cook on medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook for about 3 minutes.  Add squash and sweet potato saute for about 10 minutes until slightly tender. Add broth and cook for another 15 minutes until soft. Turn down heat then using a hand-blender, blend the vegetables into a puree. Add the cream, taste for more Turmeric and Pepper.

I have been looking for recipes to use as the summer vegetables become ripe and in abundance in the stores. Enjoy!

Stephanie's Mushroom Tortellini



Winning a sales award in Las Vegas at the National
Convention in February 1994.



During the 1980's and 1990's, I worked as a real estate agent on Long Island, NY. It was before the time of electronic contracts, digital signatures and true communication via the Internet. As a result, I found myself driving from Shirly, NY where we lived and worked to many locations on Long Island to deliver contracts and go to closings. On one such occasion, I was in Westbury, NY and after the closing I went to Fortunoff, a store that was big and beautiful on Long Island from 1964 until it's closing in 2009. After shopping and just a block away was an "nuevo" Italian Restaurant I decided to visit Baci. On their menu there was a tortellini dish that I decided to try and I fell in love with it ever since. I even sat near the kitchen on a couple of occasions to watch them make the dish. And before I left Long Island and Real Estate there, I actually got the nerve to speak to the chef and ask him his ingredients. So here is what after much tweaking, I came up with a delicious and exact, as I remember, recipe.

Stephanie' s Mushroom Tortellini:

1 package cheese tortellini

1 package sliced mushrooms

1 stick of butter

1 tbsp flour

2 cups of heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Diced fresh basil

Grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot add water and salt and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and boil for about 8 minutes until "al dente" firm not mushy. In a deep saute pan add the butter and melt on medium low heat once melted add the sliced mushrooms and saute until tender. Using a large spoon, push the mushrooms to the sides and add the flour and cook into a paste with the butter. Now add the cream and mix at first with the "roux" and then once fully integrated gently push the mushrooms into the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the tortellini, place into a bowl and then pour the mushroom sauce over the top and incorporate with the tortellini. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Best served with a Caesar Salad and garlic bread. Mangia Bene!!!!

Kathy's Delicious French Toast



Dave's sister Rita, mom Kathy and brother Larry. Here celebrating
Larry's 60th Birthday in November 2010 in Custer SD.



I have been very blessed with terrific mother-in-laws! I owe most of that to the relationships I saw between my dad and Nana, my mom's mom and my mother with Nonnie, my father's mother. they called each other mother-in-loves! I never saw disputes or dislike EVER!!! So when I got my mother-in-laws, I tried to treat them with the same respect. AND although hard at first with my first mother-in-law, over the years she went from calling me the "slut" to daughter....of course in Spanish! I was luckier with Kathy, Dave's mom. She seems to have taken to me right away and considered me a blessing to her son!!! Guess she should ask him!! LOL

I have visited Kathy on many occasions. She usually chooses to take her guests out for meals. But on our last visit, Dave asked her to make her famous French Toast and she agreed. I was very much surprised when the night before, after a rousing game of Mexican Train, she took a whole loaf of white bread and laid it out on a cutting board and then covered the bread with a clean, light dish towel. When I asked why she did that, she said that her mother told her that if you leave the bread out to get dried, it was firmer when cooking and would not fall apart. Plus she said that you really do not want to SOAK the bread thorough but just place a coating on the outside that has plenty of flavor. French Toast should have a crusty outside! (Since mine NEVER do, I decided to pay more attention to her recipe!)

Kathy's French Toast:

Bread - sliced (Kathy uses white bread but I have gone to artisan sweet breads and had the baker thick slice it) It adds another dimension to the flavor of the french toast.
Eggs - Approximately 6 eggs for a loaf of bread - increase if the bread is larger than normal
Milk - 1 cup (for richer batter add Half &Half or cream)
Vanilla - 1tsp
Cinnamon - 1tbsp
Butter - depending on how many slices you are making (I use butter spray instead - easier!)
Confectioner's Sugar - I use a shaker and just decorate the French Toast with confectioner's sugar before serving.
Maple Syrup - I heat up my syrup in the microwave just prior to serving

Leave the bread out to dry all night. In the morning make the French Toast batter using a whisk. Whisk between each bathing of bread to keep all the ingredients mixed and fluffy. Use a medium to large frying pan turn on to medium high heat and add 1 tsp before each slice. Let melt and add the slice. Cook for about 2-3 minutes and then turn. If not lightly browned increase heat slightly and monitor. Make as many as you need following these steps.



Many of the Cates Clan!
Back Row: Sister Terry, Brother-in-law Howard, Sister Sharon, Brother Larry, Mom Kathy
Bottom Row: Dave, Stephanie, Sister Rita

The nice part about French Toast and pancakes is that they can go on a plate and then be heated up in the microwave - if needed. But by doing this, they lose they crustiness of the batter. So it is best to serve immediately!

Make sure you have the confectioner's sugar and syrup ready when the French Toast is served. Other compliments are fruit, bacon, sausage, and fruit syrups instead of maple syrup.

Carol's Devilish Eggs



Mom and Dad in Hawaii in 1989



About 20 years ago my mom told me about Durkee's Sauce. She said she first bought it when we went cross-country in 1967. She got it because someone said it was terrific to add to egg salad. And after making her egg salad with Durkee's Sauce, we all agreed. So with that in mind, I tried to add a dried mustard powder and honey to make up for the Durkee's flavor, but sadly to no avail! But ever since I moved to Colorado, I have found Durkee's Sauce in most grocery stores here. So I now make my deviled eggs with this terrific sauce in it.

Carol's Devilish Eggs:

1 doz to 18 eggs - boiled

1 cup mayonnaise - Best or Hellman's tastes better

2 tbsp Durkee's Sauce

1 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp pepper

Paprika for decoration

I usually buy the eggs from SAM'S Club and boil up the whole carton since they come with 18 in a carton. Some I may make into egg salad and the rest into deviled eggs unless I am having a large party, then I cook up all 18. Boiling eggs to be hard and not a mess uses a couple of techniques. First place eggs gently into stock or deep pot and then add cold water. Make sure the water covers all the eggs by at least an inch. Bring to boil using medium high temperature since you to do not want to rock and roll the eggs and make them break in the water. Once they have boiled for about 20 minutes, turn them off and let sit until warm. Now drain water out and gently take eggs out of the water into a bowl. This is a new trick I learned after clogging my garbage disposal!!! Take a double paper towel and line in your sink. Start to run your water on a slow but steady drip. Take an egg and crack along the top or "peak" of the eggs. Remove the shell gently with the side of your finger as you run it under the water and the shells fall to the paper towel. Allow the water to get in between the shell and the egg. This helps to avoid breaking the eggs when you peel them. Repeat this until all eggs are peeled.

Now split the eggs in half and remove the yolk from each egg and place into a separate bowl. Take the "white" and start to place on an egg platter or a regular dish. Repeat this until all eggs are split and the yolks are in the bowl. Now I use a pastry cutter but you can also use a potato masher to mash the egg yolks. Then add the mayonnaise and Durkee's Sauce. Mash until well mixed. Taste and add more mayonnaise or Durkee's Sauce if needed. Now I take my electric mixer and beat the yolk cream mixture to make it even more creamy and less lumpy. Again add more mayo or sauce if you think it needs it. Now add the salt and pepper to taste.

Take a large Ziplock bag and cut one of the corners. I usually use one of my pastry decorator nozzles and insert it into the hole in the bag so that the cream comes out in a pretty shape. Now I load the yolk cream into the bag and start squeezing it out into the "whites" sitting on the platter/dish. You do not want to overload the first couple and not have enough for the rest so be more sparing at the beginning as you can always go back and put more cream on top. When you are done, sprinkle with Paprika. Cover with plastic - NOT FOIL - and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

I served this yesterday at my Father's Day BBQ and I had 36 eggs for 12 people and only 3 were left. Great appetizer for any party!!!

Mexican Cob on a stick



Memo, Monica, Abuelita, Carmela and Pablo
in 1987, Mexico City.



When and if you ever get the chance to visit Mexico, don't be afraid to eat some of the foods from the street vendors. I mean some things I ran from like cow brain tacos, fruit drinks make with mostly unprocessed local water etc. But one of my favorites and that of my kids was corn on the cob - on a stick!

The last time I was in Mexico City was in 1987, wow, 35 years ago! And it only feels like yesterday! Anyway....while we were there we took the kids and visited the Park at Coyoacan. I remember this distinctly because it was a beautiful park surround a huge Catholic Church and some very old and beautiful building in the heart of Coyoacan. This neighborhood was quaint and many street were still cobble stone. Most weekends there were street vendors selling all kinds of wares and foods. This particular day that we went, there was an artist that created paintings with spray paint. He took cardboard and created celestial looking paintings using different objects like plates, cut out paper and then once he was done, he used hair spray and lit the hairspray on fire to seal the paint and create a glazed look to the final painting. I remember Memo being especially fascinated with this process since he has always like painting. He still has the easel I bought him!

While roaming the park, we saw a Mexican Corn on a Stick vendor and all enjoyed this traditional "antojito".

Mexican Corn on a Stick:

One ear of corn for each person - unless they want more! Husked

Mexican Cream - buy in a Mexican Store - I have substituted sour cream

Mayonnaise - some Mexicans like this instead of the cream

Queso Fresco - in the ethnic area of any store today - grated

Chile Piquin - buy in a Mexican Store - comes in a bag near the spices

Salt and Pepper

Skewer Sticks - heavy duty ones

Cut the ears of corn at the bottom of the cob so they are flat. Add to salted boiling water and boil for about 8-10 minutes until tender. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Pick up a cob using a clean dish towel and push the skewer into the softened centered of the cob as high as possible. Lay them out on a platter and then put the cream, mayonnaise, cheese, Chile Piquin, salt and pepper out separately. Let each person season their own!

When we have a barbecue, I take the skewered corn out to the grill and place them on the hot grill to add that little bit of roasting which gives it an even better flavor. Only leave them on a couple of minutes each side and serve to your guests immediately.

A unique and fun way to serve corn on the cob!!! Buen Provecho!

Macaroni Salad a la Monterrey

Avispones Football Team! They won the league championship!
Memo is featured here with some of his teammates and friends.
He was 7 years old.

In 1980, Jorge was offered a job in Monterrey, Mexico. The company Hylsamex owned by Alfa, does mining and steel manufacturing. My heart goes out to old friends in Monterrey, Mexico that are fighting for their lives now in the wake of drug cartels and gangland turf wars on the streets of Monterrey. When we lived there, it was considered the richest and most successful city in Mexico. I read today that the city is held hostage now by the drug wars!!! Alfa was one of the largest employers in the city. The company had a country club we attended, discounted restaurant and our own medical facilities. It was terrific for a young family!

While in Monterrey, we rented our first home in the Colonia del Valle. Most of the wealthier people lived there and many Americans. I taught English at a bilingual school and the kids attended the same school with me. We really enjoyed our time there. One of my neighbors, who was married to a doctor and the boys played with Memo but whose name I have now forgotten, invited us over for a picnic. She served this salad which I really enjoyed. 

Macaroni Salad a la Monterrey:



Liz, Yako and I at the football field. Liz was 2 years old.



1 package elbow noodles

1 medium onion - finely diced

1 jar pimento - drained and diced

4 stalks celery - in strips and then finely chopped

1/4 pickle type relish 

1/2 cut of finely chopped ham

2 cups mayonnaise - I use Hellman's or Best

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Cook the elbow noodles in hot boiling water for about 10 minutes or until tender to the squeeze. Drain, rinse off with very cold water to stop the continued cooking. Set aside. In a large bowl add the onion, pimento, relish, celery, ham and mayonnaise. Mix thoroughly then add the cold noodles. Add salt and pepper at this time just to make sure that the mayonnaise and relish has enough flavor. Just like any pasta salad, it is important to let is sit covered in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to allow the flavors to marinade and be absorbed by the pasta.

I ask to please remember to keep those in Monterrey in your prayers. Most of those living there have nothing to do with the violence....they are the innocent victims!

Mexican Chicken Enchiladas

Memo & Liz's Mexican Family in 1986

Mexican enchiladas was always a breakfast dish when I lived in Mexico. I remember one could order it with eggs. I also remember going to "abuelita's" house for supper - in the evening usually after 7pm and having her delicious enchiladas. It has always reminder me of a casserole but different!!

Memo teaching Abuelita to play basketball in Mastic, NY circa 1993.

Mexican Enchiladas:

4 chicken breast cooked and shredded - reserve stock

2 lg cans of Green Enchilada sauce  

1 lg onion sliced thinly

2 cloves of garlic - diced finely

olive oil
1 large bag of corn chips with NO Additional flavors
3 cups of shredded Mexican cheese or mixture

Optional: 3 Jalapeno or Serrano Chilies

Queso Fresco - Fresh crumbly Mexican Cheese (NOT FETA one of those sharp ones)

Sour Cream - dollop on each plate

Optional Condiments:

     Avocado - diced

     Onion - diced

     Pico de Gallo - hot sauce

Make Shredded Chicken:

Put 4 chicken breast into a stock pot with 2 cups of water. Add salt and pepper along with 2 cloves of garlic and 1 medium onion quartered. Cook chicken for about 40 minutes on gently boil. Remove chicken and let cool. Then shred and leave in bowl for later. Let stock sit for later.

Make Green Sauce:

In a large pot (at least for 8 cups of liquid) add 1/4 olive oil and the entire sliced onion and diced garlic. Saute on medium heat until transparent. Open both cans of green enchilada sauce and slowly pour into the pot. Stir until completely hot and mixed. Add chicken into the sauce. The sauce will be too thick to really pour over the chips so add 2 cups of the stock or until thick enough for sauce but still sticks to the corn chips. Taste for flavor - add chilies at this time or cumin if desired.

Making the "Mexican Casserole":

Heat the oven to 350*.

In a deep casserole dish pour some sauce into the bottom, add handfuls of corn chips until the entire casserole dish is covered about 1 inch higher than the casserole dish rim. Now using a ladle, ladle the sauce over the chips filling the casserole dish 3/4 the way up the side. Now generously sprinkle Mexican Cheese over the top of the casserole and cover with foil. Cook for about 30 minutes and then remove the foil to brown slightly. Serve with "Queso Freso" and sour cream or any of the other condiments.

Long Island Chicken Salad



Memo graduated from William Floyd High School
on Long Island in 1992.

I lived on Long Island for 15 years...and that was 14 years ago! Boy, time flies! I guess I would say that Long Island is where my kids grew up. We lived in Mexico until Memo was 8 years old and Liz was 4. Then we lived in the Buffalo, New York area for two years. Jorge's company offered him a permanent position serving school districts on Long Island and as a family, we got tired of his commute weekly from Buffalo to Long Island! We moved into our first house a day or so before Thanksgiving 1984. We lived there for 4 years and then had a house built.  I think of Long Island as where my kids grew up because they did both Jr. and High School there!
Memo played football, wrestled and tennis. Liz was in the band and orchestra, dance team and tennis.

Anyway, I learned a lot of different recipes from friends, neighbors and local restaurants. This particular recipe came from a local bagel shop. I had never really had bagels much prior to living on Long Island even though we lived in Westchester, New York and Connecticut for many years, it was just not part of our culture. When I grew up food choices in families was mostly reserved for one's family ethnic background. And since we were not Jewish, I think it did not occur to my parents to introduce us to bagels! As I grew up and began to travel the world, I became acutely aware of different foods offered in different cultures. It was probably the beginning of my diversity in preparing foods. This bagel shop made all the traditional cream cheese mixtures like chive, scallion, raisin and nut, vegetable, lox, etc. They also offered bagel sandwiches at lunch. My absolute favorite was chicken salad!

Long Island Chicken Salad:
2 cups cooked chicken breast chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

Liz graduated from William Floyd High School
on Long Island in 1996.

2 stalks celery - medium chopped

1/2 cup seedless red grapes - halved

1 cup Hellman's or Best Mayonnaise

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

I will go ahead and cook up some extra chicken breasts if I think I might be making this salad. I have also used the breast from a roasted chicken from the store. If not available, cook 4 chicken breasts in 2 cups of water with salt and 1/2 onion for 20 minutes. You can pull out the chicken breasts to cool and save the broth for another dish or soup. You can even freeze broth.

Once cooled, chop the chicken into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside add the chopped celery and grapes to the chicken. In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, honey, salt and pepper gently fold into the chicken mixture covering completely all the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve with your favorite bread or bagel.

Hanna's Zucchini Pie



Memo and Kasia on wedding cruise before the wedding May 2008.



Three years ago, my son Memo married the most amazing woman. Kasia was born in Poland and came to the United States when she was 12 years old...I think. Her dad, Andrezj, had been working in the US for several years and sent for his wife, Hanna and children, Pawel (Paul) and Kasia (Catherine). They had a home on Staten Island. Kasia followed her brother's footsteps and has a nursing degree.



As I understand, Memo coached girls volleyball in the NYC area. He always took his dog Ewing. Who eventually introduced him to Kasia. After a couple of years together, they decided to get married on St. Thomas Island as part of a wedding cruise. It was a small intimate wedding with immediate family and friends.

Kaya Imani - Easter 2011

 An added bonus of this wonderful daughter-in-law, is her terrific family! Hanna is a great cook and is sharing some recipes with me. I tasted this when I went to Surfside, Florida, where Kasia and Memo live for Kasia's baby shower. We had a great time helping Kasia and Memo prepare for Kaya Imani, who is now 2 1/2 years old. And since then, she has been joined by her sister, Chloe Amelie, who is 8 months old! I feel so happy for Memo to be blessed by a wonderful wife and mother for his daughters. And equally blessed to know that these babies are surrounded by lots of family that loves them so much!

Hanna's Zucchini Pie:

3 cups of grated zucchini

1 small onion finely diced

1 cup flour

1 cup grated provolone cheese

3 eggs beaten

1/4 cup Olive Oil



Chloe Amelie with Mommy @ Nana's House
May 1, 2011



4 tbsp Parmesan Cheese

2 tsp fresh basil

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper



Oven 350*



In a large mixing bowl add flour, eggs, provolone cheese, only 1 tsp Parmesan cheese,  olive oil, baking powder, salt and pepper and mix well. Add onion, zucchini and basil; beat by hand until completely blended. Grease a casserole dish or pan or spray with olive oil. Pour mixture into dish and sprinkle that last tsp of Parmesan Cheese on top. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until golden brown on top. If is starts to brown too much - place a light covered piece of foil on top.

High Altitude - like us out here in Colorado - Add 2 more tbsp flour to the mixture.

Stephanie's Broccoli and Cheese Rice

The Wilklows and Cates vacationed in Breckenridge 2011

This is a terrific recipe when you want to add color and flavor to rice. I used to buy those boxes of rice, especially when on sale with all the flavors; broccoli-cheese, dirty rice, chicken-garlic flavored etc. But is it soooooo much tastier and VERY easy to create your own flavor. Although I liked in Mexico for 10 years and ALWAYS made long cooking rice. I am a real fan of Minute Rice! Confession! It's easy and NEVER under cooks which it a problem for me with the regular rice. I can also make it and then add it to my flavor ingredients.



Kaya posing for Grandma at Easter 2011



Stephanie's Broccoli and Cheese Rice:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

4 finely diced shallots

2 broccoli crowns - cut the tops off only - quite small pieces

1 cup of mushrooms finely chopped

4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth OR 4 cups of water with 2 tbsp of vegetable broth or chicken broth

4 cups of Minute Rice

1/4 cup cream

2 cups shredded cheese - I use preshredded mixture of Cheddars or Mexican fair - whatever you like

In a pot big enough for 6 cups of liquid, add 2 tbsp olive oil and butter heat to medium high temperature. When ready add the shallots and turn down as to NOT BURN. Cook for about a minute and then add the broccoli tops and mushrooms. Saute for about 5 minutes on medium low heat to release the flavors. Add the 4 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Add the cream and cheese stir until dissolved and then add the Minute Rice. Cover and pull off the heat. Gentle fold every minute or so until the rice if fluffy and ready to serve.

IF you are a diehard fan of regular rice or brown rice, make the rice but substute the water for the broth. Make it and set aside. Follow the recipe above with the shallots, broccoli and mushrooms, add 1/2 cup cream and then bring to a gentle boil and then add the cheese. Once the cheese is creamy and melted, add the premade rice and gently fold.