HAM & NAVY BEANS

(Great recipe for crock pot, this one takes awhile and there is plenty for company.)


YOU WILL NEED:

Crock pot
Lg. bowl
Lg. spoon
Can opener
Measuring spoons
Paring knife


INGREDIENTS:

1 bag dried Navy beans or 15 bean mix, soaked over night in a large bowl and covered with water
1 sm. cottage ham
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes (plain or seasoned)
1 med. onion, diced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 ham hock (optional) (gives a nice smokey flavor to the beans)


1.  Rinse beans and put in crock pot, cover with water. Set on high.  (Start early in the morning)

2.  Add diced onion, ham hock and seasonings.

3.  Cook for about four hours then add tomatoes and ham.

4.  Cook for another four or five hours.


SERVES:  1 TO 6


SERVING HINTS:   Corn bread goes well with the ham and beans.  You could also fry potatoes and onions or make dumplings out of your pancake mix.  These are even better the second day.  If you don't have a crock pot you could use a dutch oven (a large pan with lid).  Keep the heat on medium and watch the beans so they don't burn.

You could cut the recipe in half and freeze the other half of the cottage ham, save the other half of the beans for soup.


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ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES

YOU WILL NEED:

Oven at 400 degrees
Cookie sheet
Spatula
Paring knife or peeler
Foil


INGREDIENTS:

1/2  Sm. bag of baby carrots
1 lg. potato
1/2  Sm butternut squash
3 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. each of the following:  oregano, season-all, paprika  (use whatever spices you like)


1.  Heat over to 400 degrees.  Line the cookie sheet with double foil.

2.  Put carrots on cookie sheet, peel potato and cube into 1 inch cubes and put on cookie sheet with carrots.  Cut squash in half sideways.  Peel the smallest end and cut into 1 inch chunks, add to veggies on cookie sheet.

3.  Pour oil over veggies, add all the spices and toss around with your hands so everything has oil on it. 

4.  Bake for 1 hour or until carrots are soft in middle.  Turn them with a spatula about 1/2 hour into the baking time.

5.  Remove and place in a pretty dish.


SERVES:  1 OR 2

SERVING HINTS:  You can serve these with any meat.  You have a potato and side dish in one.  The butternut squash is a little hard to work with, but totally worth the effort.  You could also use the whole squash, discard the seeds.  Leftovers would be good in soup.

PEANUT CLUSTERS

(not in the cookbook)

                                                                                (a little bigger than a quarter)


YOU WILL NEED:

Double boiler or two pans that can sit on top of one another
1 Lg. spoon
1 teaspoon
Parchment or wax paper


INGREDIENTS:

1 bag of chocolate chips
2 bags of butterscotch chips
1 jar of salted peanuts


1.  Pour all chips into top pan of double boiler, slowly heat about 2 inches of water in bottom pan.  Keep heat on medium. Stir chips until well blended.

2.  When chips are melted and blended well, add whole jar of peanuts, stir.

3.  Using a teaspoon make mounds (about the size of a quarter) on the parchment paper, which is laid out on your counter top or table.  Let cool, lift off and store in a well covered container.  These are delicious.  This recipe makes a lot of candy.  Enjoy!

If you leave the top pan on top of the bottom pan (after taking it off of the stove) the candy mixture stays warm so you can spoon it out easier.

SERVES:   1 - 20

MACAROONS

YOU WILL NEED:

Oven at 350 degrees
Foil lined cookie sheet
Lg. bowl
Lg. spoon
Can opener


INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. Shredded coconut
1 Sm. Can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. Vanilla



1.  Mix all ingredients and drop by tbsp. on the foil lined cookie sheet, about an inch apart.

2.  Bake for about 8 minutes, just until the tops start to get brown.  Cool and enjoy.


SERVES:  2 or more

SERVING HINTS:  You could drizzle some chocolate syrup over them or drop a teaspoon of jam or jelly on each macaroon.  I haven't tried it, but you could add a tbsp. of cocoa powder into the mix before you bake them.

COLLEGE COOKBOOK and BLOG

The basis for my cookbook and blog is to help college students and singles learn to cook, manage their budget and have great food.  When my granddaughter started college, money was tight!  She had to pay for rent and books which left very little money left over for food.  I didn't want her to have to exist on Ramen noodles so I wrote my cookbook.

It is more than a cookbook, it is a tool to teach you how to manage your kitchen and save money.  How?  By showing that you only need three (3) pans to cook any meal, not just in the cookbook, but any meal. 

You also learn how to take one pound of hamburger and make three or four meals, all different.  You can also learn to cook one chuck roast and make four different meals.  The recipes are easy and I show which pans and utensils to use.  These are the same recipes I use at home.  Some of the recipes are fast and some take several hours (which gives you time to study or clean the apartment).

GOULASH

(easy, quick and good, made with leftovers)

YOU WILL NEED:

Cast iron skillet
Lg. spoon


2 cups leftover chili
1/2 cup pasta, cooked (shells, elbow, cut up spaghetti)
1/2 tsp. paprika (optional)


1.  Put all ingredients into skillet and heat through.


SERVES:  1 or 2


SERVING HINTS:   Serve with crackers or crusty bread.  Cole slaw or salad would be good as a side.  You can also add extra spices if you like, just to give it new life (chili powder, garlic powder, cumin).   I used tri-colored pasta for this dish.  You could sprinkle cheese or onions on the top just before serving.

BAKED SPAGHETTI



          (Ideal for that leftover spaghetti)

YOU WILL NEED

Oven at 325 degrees
Iron skillet with lid or foil
Lg. spoon
Can opener
Measuring cup and spoons


2 cups leftover spaghetti and sauce
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp.garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can (15 oz.) tomatoes (garlic or Italian)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (remember the salad bar)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese


1.  Put all ingredients, except Parmesan cheese, in skillet and mix well.  Sprinkle with Parmesan.

2.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes or until hot, uncover and bake for another 15 minutes.


SERVES:  3 to 4


SERVING HINTS:    You can eat this as is or serve with a salad and/or crusty bread.