Wash asparagus in cold water. Cut off stalks about 1” from the bottom. Remove heavy scales with a sharp knife. Arrange asparagus in a skillet, add 6 tbsp. water. Cover. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until ends are crisp-tender. To prepare herb butter, cream butter in a small bowl till fluffy. Add remaining ingredients except lemon juice and beat until smooth. Add lemon juice drop by drop. Blend thoroughly. Spoon over hot asparagus. Serve.

Place tomatoes, cut side up on a baking sheet. Place 1 butter pat on top of each tomato. Cover with cheese and parsley. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add halibut, cover, and simmer 25 minutes. Add tomatoes, cover, and simmer until the halibut flakes. Serve over rice.

Combine wet ingredients. Then add to chopped broccoli and cauliflower. Toss. Then lastly, add cheese ad bacon crumbles to the top.

Combine all ingredients and mix together until well blended. Chill salad until ready to serve.

Butter a 2 qt. casserole dish. Smash 1 clove of garlic and rub it over the dish. In a large saucepan, heat milk, cream, salt, and garlic. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash & peel potatoes, slice into 1⁄4” thick slices. Pat dry with a paper towel. Layer potato slices in the dish until the bottom is covered. Pour some sauce on top, and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Repeat layers, saving a little cheese to go on the very top. Put the dish on a cookie sheet or jelly roll sheet, covered with foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes until potatoes are done. Let cool a little before serving.

My Aunt Elaine Strickland brought this to our family Thanksgiving meal in 2015.

In a pan, add water, chives, bouillon cubes, white pepper, and part of the broth. Bring to a boil; add carrots and a bit more water if needed. Cook until carrots are almost tender; add in cut-up chicken tenders and more broth. Bring back to a boil. Add in macaroni noodles, English peas, and the rest of the broth. Cook until chicken and noodles are done, and add more broth as needed.

You can do this in a **pot on the stove or in a *crockpot. If I’m taking it somewhere, I use the crockpot, but if I’m eating it at home, I just cook it in a pot. The reason I’m saying this is that, if using a crockpot, I usually mix my chicken broth,  cream cheese, and cream of chicken soup together in a large pot on the stove first, to make sure the cheese is melted and it is all blended well and creamy. I usually use my immersion blender to make sure it’s all blended, so there will be no bits of cream cheese. I’m sure you could just use a whisk, also. After this is smooth, you can put it in the crockpot or just leave it in the pot. Then add all the other ingredients. Cook until tortellini is done (follow pkg. directions). Then it is ready to eat. *If using a crockpot, I usually cook on high for an hour, then turn it to warm until ready to eat. **If cooking in a pot, I just let it simmer for 30 minutes or so on low after the tortellini is done. I love to serve this with crunchy, cheesy, garlic bread!

Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon and set it aside. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the corn kernels, potato, broth, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Use an immersion blender to puree some of the chowder for a thicker consistency. Stir in the heavy cream and cooked bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot and enjoy!

Mix corn, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and mayonnaise. Add seasonings to your taste. Chill.

Take a piece of aluminum foil big enough to wrap a piece or two small pieces of chicken breast, or whatever cuts/pieces you like. Salt and pepper chicken pieces in each foil. Wrap good. Place inside crock pot (foil and all); add about a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water to crock pot. Cover and cook all night or all day on low. Unwrap chicken. (Bone-in pieces have more flavor.) Eat plain, add BBQ sauce, or put meat on top of toasted bread and cover with cream of chicken soup for gravy. However, you want to fix your chicken!. Chicken salad, etc. And, you have some broth, too.

From My Great Aunt “Tootsie”

Stir together all ingredients until well blended. Makes 2 cups (enough for 6 sandwiches)

Cut meat, tenderize, salt, pepper, and flour. In an iron skillet, add Crisco shortening. Brown meat. Remove from the skillet. Use the remaining flour to make gravy. Season to taste. Return the meat to the skillet with the gravy. Add sliced onions & simmer 40 minutes. Great with rice, lots of cornbread, peas, and turnip greens. Now that’s country eaten!

Roll each pod individually in a meal. Add salt mixture. Fry each pod individually and mash down with fork while browning on both sides. Drain on paper towel and serve.

Zest the lime. Drain one of the cans of peaches into a large bowl. Stir 2 tbsp. pudding mix into the juice. Drain remaining cans of fruit and add all fruit and lime zest to the pudding mixture. Gently stir to combine. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.

Take a medium-sized high-walled pan (mine is non-stick coated). I took the ham and, with a small dab of whipped butter, cooked the ham in the bottom of the pan until the desired color was achieved. Take out and put it on a paper plate to rest. Add chicken broth and leftover stewed potatoes to the pan. Add a dash of half & half and a dash of ranch dressing, and 2 or 3 chicken bouillon cubes to your liking. Cut up ham slices into pieces and put them in the pan. Add your instant potato flakes and stir in, and remove from the heat. Cover pan. Let it stand until all potatoes are absorbed. This will be thick and golden colored from the ham cooking in the bottom of the pan. In the meantime, I ran about 4 cups of water through the coffee pot to heat it. Add some water to mix to thin down the soup to the desired thickness. Enjoy! I used leftover heated coffee pot water to wash out my used bowl and cooking pan. Made about 1 1⁄2 bowls of great soup. Lots of flavor from ham cooking, ranch dressing, and bouillon (No need to add salt – bouillon has plenty.)

Cook carrots in salted water until they are tender, then drain. In a skillet, place carrots and remaining ingredients; cook and stir until carrots are glazed and glossy.

Cook ground beef and sausage with chopped onions & bell pepper. Drain the grease, then add the remaining ingredients and simmer for a bit. Enjoy!

I sprinkle “Slap Ya Mama” seasoning on 6 slices of bacon. Season the chicken breasts with salt & pepper on both sides. In a large skillet, brown
chicken breasts on both sides; place in a baking dish and top with a strip of uncooked bacon; cover with a lid or tin foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Sauté the mushrooms in the reserved bacon grease until they are tender. Lastly, combine the last 4 ingredients listed above. When chicken breasts are done, top with sauce, mushrooms, parmesan cheese, and chopped bacon.

Marinate overnight in oil, vinegar, and soy sauce. Drain.
In a casserole dish, layer: (Layer 1) steaks, (Layer 2) chopped onion, (Layer 3) chopped green peppers, (Layer 4) 2 cans Rotel or 2 cans regular diced tomatoes (I use Rotel). Bake covered at 325 degrees for 2 hours. So tender and good!!

Chop cabbage and smoked sausage. Sauté sausage in butter for about 7 minutes on medium heat, stirring often. Remove from the pan and add the cabbage and onion (if you eat onion) and 1 tbsp. butter. Cook till the butter is melted and the cabbage is cooked to your liking. Add the smoked sausage back to the cabbage and stir together till warmed.

Cook meat and season as cooking; drain well. Add the cream cheese and beef broth to the skillet. Bring to a boil till it thickens; add green beans, drain well, and reduce heat and simmer; top with cheese and bake at 350 degrees until melted and bubbly – about 25 minutes.

Cook macaroni. Drain and place in a baking dish. Mix milk, eggs, and butter; pour over macaroni, and add cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, until done. Makes 6 servings.

Combine beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper, and 1⁄2 cup tomato sauce. Put into a loaf pan and add the remaining sauce over the meat loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in the oven in a 9×13” baking dish. Salt, pepper, and flour chicken breasts, and place them in a baking dish with melted butter. Bake until chicken is tender, usually 1 hour (turn to brown on the other side after about 30 minutes of baking time), depending on thickness. When the chicken is done, in a separate bowl, mix a can of cream of mushroom soup and milk until smooth. Then pour the soup combination over the baked chicken. Top with cheddar cheese and return to the oven until bubbly.

Melt butter, saute onions, green onions, garlic, celery, and parsley until tender. In a large saucepan, add oysters, soup, and water. Bring to a boil; add onion mixture. Brown flour in butter; add to oysters. Reduce heat. Simmer for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!

Mix and set in the refrigerator for 2 hours, covered. Drain off liquid. Add 1⁄2 cup white vinegar and 1 1⁄2 cups sugar. Cover and leave in refrigerator 4 days; then put in containers and freeze.

From Aunt Lucretia and Aunt Emma (7/14/87)

Preheat oven to 475 degrees, Place turkey in a roasting pan with above ingredients. Slice onion, cut celery sticks into 2” or 3” pieces and quarter and core apple, leaving peel on apple. Place cover on roaster and bake 1 hour and turn oven off. Do not open
oven door from time placed in oven until the next morning. (This is the secret of cooking this turkey – so follow directions.) It will be a golden brown, so don’t worry about browning it later.

Drain salmon. Set aside 2 tbsp. of juice. In medium bowl, mix salmon, egg, and onion until sticky. Stir in flour. Add baking powder to salmon juice and stir fry salmon mixture. Form into small patties and fry until golden brown in hot Crisco.

Cook the sausage: Preheat a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, and crumble it to break it apart. Once cooked halfway through, cover partially and continue to heat, stirring occasionally until cooked through. It’ll take around 10-12 minutes total.

Set the sausage aside and reserve 1 tbsp. drippings. (Butter can be used if you don’t have drippings.) Add the drippings to the pot along with 2 tbsp. of butter over medium heat. Add the diced onions, celery, and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth in
splashes and use a spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot to add more flavor to the soup. Slowly stir in the heavy cream, hot sauce, soy sauce, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Clean the potatoes and pat them dry. Cut into 1” cubes and add them to the soup. Simmer uncovered until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the sausage back and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cheddar cheese. Serve.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sauce: To make the sauce, melt butter, onion, and garlic over medium-low heat. Cook until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Combine milk and broth. Add a small amount at a time, whisking to thicken. The mixture will become very thick. Continue adding a little bit of liquid at a time, whisking until smooth. Once all of the liquid has been added, bring to a boil over medium heat while continuing to whisk. Stir in salt & pepper and let boil 1 minute. 

Grease a 9”x13” baking dish. Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom and season with salt and pepper. Pour 1/3 of the cream sauce over top. Repeat layers ending with cream sauce. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and potatoes are tender. Broil for 3-4 minutes to obtain a golden top. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Cut large shrimp in half. Set aside. Melt shortening in skillet, blend in flour, stirring constantly until you have a light brown rouge. Add water gradually and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients, except shrimp and rice. Cover; reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes. Add shrimp and cook an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Serve hot over rice.

Prepare everything first before cooking in a wok or big skillet.

Add cornstarch to a small cup and add in soy sauce & cold water, stir. Set aside.

In a wok or skillet, put in oil and spices (ginger powder, onion, garlic, whatever you like). Heat the wok/skillet until very hot. Then add meat and cook fast, stirring to coat all. When done, put in a clean bowl. Return the wok/skillet to heat; add vegetables and some water. Cover to steam cook / thaw vegetables to a desired softness. Take off the lid and make sure there is a little water left in the bottom. Add meat back and stir together. Add cornstarch/soy sauce/water mixture. Stir until the thick sauce coats all. Put in a serving bowl.

Rice – dry white rice
2 parts water to 1 part rice
Example: (1/2 cup rice to 1 cup water)

In a saucepan (nonstick works good), add butter and a dash of oil. I use garlic oil. Heat; add dry rice and cook for a while, kinda toasting rice grains. In a pan, while hot, add water and cover. Turn the heat down; do not take the lid off. Set the timer for 20 minutes. I do this after I get everything ready before I cook beef, etc. They should both be done about the same time, give or take a few minutes for rice. Enjoy!

Mix and place in a baking dish, and top the meat with Tator Tots. Bake at 350 degrees till golden brown and bubbly. *May add canned corn if you want to change it up.

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat. Stir in garlic, onion, and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken stock and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in tortellini; cover and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in kale until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and basil until heated through, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately.

Mix well with mayonnaise. (or mustard if you prefer)

Toss vegetables. Blend dressing ingredients, and mix with vegetables. Add salt & pepper to taste. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

On medium high to high – use a big pot, dutch oven size. Put in your garlic soy sauce, all broth, ginger, white pepper, OH, and some black pepper, too, if you want. While that is getting hot, cut up your pork chops – cut off bone if they are bone-in; then cut into strips about 1⁄4” wide and make pieces about 1” or 2” inches long; cut away any fat or silver skin before you cut into strips. Broth should be at huge rolling boil, drop in pork strips to cook in broth; then bring the boil back down; if it gets “too big” turn heat
back. Now, cut up the washed green onions (I cut off roots and use white and almost all the green. Put that in the pot. Cut the Nappa if it is big in half longways; put the cut side down and slice from top down to bottom; stop at the top if the core cuts across, making strips of cabbage. Put all that in the pot. It may look like it will not fit, but it will cook down fast. Mash it down with a big spoon. Next, take wonton or eggroll wrappers (about half the pack) and cut into strips about 1⁄2” wide. Take these to the pot and deal the strips in pot like cards so they do not stick together; stir them in and deal some more, and stir and so on until you have all noodles in the pot. Cook until the cabbage is wilted, the meat is done, and the noodles are done. Keep what is left in the refrigerator; You may need to put more broth in when you warm it up because the noodles soak up liquid and swell. Enjoy!! The longer it sits, the better it gets!!