Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup quick cooking tapioca

3 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb (1/4 inch)

3 cups sliced fresh or frozen strawberries

1/3 cup orange juice

1/4 tsp orange zest

2 Tbl butter

Optional: heaping Tbl orange marmalade

Double pie crust recipe made and rolled out.

In a large bowl, combine tapioca and sugar.  Add fruit; toss to coat.  Gently stir in juice and orange zest (and marmalade if using). Let stand 15 minutes.  Put pie crust in pan and pour in filling.  Sprinkle with dabs of butter.  Cover with top crust.  Pinch edges to seal.  Cut slices to let out steam.  Put pan on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil.  Let stand 15 minutes.  Cover pie crust edges with foil.  

Bake at 400 for 40-45 minutes

If using frozen rhubarb, memasure while still frozen.  Then thaw completely.  Drain in a colander but do not press juice out.

Hamburgers in Mushroom Gravy

I've been getting recipes from a Facebook group that share old fashioned recipes.  I wrote them in a composition notebook, but I thought it would be best if I put them on my blog so I can find them when I'm traveling.

1 lb beef, ground
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 onion, diced
Adobo
Worcestershire sauce to taste
minced garlic


Mix burger and all above.  Shape into burgers and fry until a really nice brown crust forms.

1 box beef broth
1 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced
brown gravy mix - as much as needed according to directions to match with the beef broth. Should end up like a thin yogurt consistency when cooked.

Combine broth. gravy mix and mushrooms in a pan and simmer until cooked, seasoning to taste.

Put burgers and gravy in a dutch oven.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes, toast, noodles, rice or grains

Homemade Hamburger Helper

1 lb beef
1 T minced or dehydrated garlic
1/2 cup minced or 1/4 cup dehydrated onion
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup heavy cream
16 ox Velveeta
1-2 cups pasta
1 32 oz box broth

In a large pot, brown the beef, drain and set aside.  Using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown off the bottom of the pan.  Add onion + garlic until translucent.  Add carrots, broth + beef and bring to a boil.  Cook pasta noodles separately according to pkg directions.  Once done, combine with beef and add Velveeta + heavy cream until melted on medium heat.

Tuna Casserole

9x13 pan, buttered                            350 degrees

I don't make this often, but lots of my friend's Moms made it when I was a kid.

1 large package egg noodles or elbow macaroni
Boil until just done, and drain immediately

In a large bowl, combine
1 small carton sour cream
family-sized cream of mushroom soup
1 small bunch chopped greed onions
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp each salt and pepper
2 large cans tuna, one drained + one with water
3 cups shredded cheese

Stir in noodles, mix well.  Put in pan.  Top with 1 cup shredded cheese and crunchy potato chips.
Bake till bubbly

Savory Beef and Noodles

4 servings  Good for camping

1 pkg egg noodles, cooked
1 lb ground beef, cooked over medium heat until no longer pink.  Drain.
1 can condensed French Onion Soup
1/2 cup beef gravy
1 can mushroom stems + pieces
Add all to meat from above list.

1 T flour
1 T water.

Heat meat mix to boiling and simmer 5 minutes.  Mix flour and water + add to meat misture.  Cook + stir 2 minutes or until thickened.
Serve over hot noodles

Bart's Butternut Soup

Bart adapted this from allrecipe.com  Bart likes to double this recipe and share some soup with Fran, but then he wouldn't add the Cayenne Pepper.  This is easy to make vegan.

1 Tbl butter or olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped (or zucchini if you don't have celery)
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tspTagine for Vegetables (Mediterranean Blend) or to taste
32 oz box Chicken or Vegetable Broth
Salt and Pepper
Optional toppings:
Chopped Parsley, or grated cheddar cheese, crumbled feta or blue cheese
Nuts (toasted almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, pepitas or candied pecans), Herbs (cilantro, thyme, sage, chives, etc.),
Crispy bacon or prosciutto
Another possible variation is to roast the vegetables first.

Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes and squash 5 minutes or until lightly browned.  Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer 40 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.
Transfer soup to a blender, or use an immersion blender and blend until smooth.  Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to desired consistency.  Season with salt and pepper.  Top with chopped parsley.

Variations:
Curry and Coconut Milk
Cumin and Chipotle Chili Powder and Adobo plus nutmeg.  Serve with lime wedges and cilantro
Italian Seasonings and Zucchini
If you want to add rice or grains for extra chewy-ness, add extra broth too.