Recipes

Freezer Spaghetti Sauce

I have had several requests to publish the recipe that we use for our frozen spaghetti sauce - here it is! (We love it) I mostly use the peeled La Roma tomatoes, but the Brandywine are great too. They just need to be cooked down to remove the fluid.

Note: Recipe By:Stephanie Lane. Find the original recipe here

"This is a great sauce to make and freeze. Grab your tomatoes and crockpot and you're set!

4 onions, chopped (3 cups)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped (1.5 cups)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
16 cups chopped tomatoes (I fill up the crockpot)
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried or 10 fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

In a slow cooker saute together the onion, garlic, green pepper, and vegetable oil. Cook until onion is transparent.
Drain all the water you can from the chopped tomatoes. Add the chopped tomatoes, oregano, basil, parsley, sugar, salt, and ground black pepper. Cook for 6 to 8 hours on high heat. Stir frequently.
Let sauce cool. Pour 1.5 lbs sauce into quart size freezer containers. Store in freezer.
When ready to use sauce, stir in can of tomato paste.

Decadent Pumpkin Pie

You only live once!

Note: This recipe for pumpkin pie appeared in a Philadelphia newspaper in 1974. It is as good now as it was then but check with your cardiologist. The best pumpkin pie is made with fresh Butternut squash. Next best is fresh pumpkin and least desirable is store bought canned pumpkin. We make it every year at Thanksgiving.

1.5 cups of cooked pumpkin pulp (Butternut squash)
1.5 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
4 eggs slightly beaten
1 splash of rum

Cook the squash or pumpkin in the oven or microwave until tender. Scoop out the pulp and mash it with a potato masher. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well, adding the eggs last. Spoon the resulting mixture into an unbaked pie shell and bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 450 degrees: then turn the temperature down to 350 and bake until the filling sets (about another hour+). Serve the warm pie with lots of fresh whipped cream.

Buttercup Squash

Buttercup may become your favorite winter squash with this super simple recipe.

Remove the stem and slice the squash in half through its greater diameter. You will have two plate like pieces. Remove all the seeds and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender. This can be accomplished in a pan with a little water. The squash can be cooked with either surface in the water. After cooking the squash can be spooned out into a saucepan and mashed with a potato masher. Add brown sugar (1/4 cup with every 2 lbs of squash) and butter and cook over low heat to incorporate and melt the sugar and butter. Stir well to mix the ingredients and serve hot. You can add maple syrup, cinnamon and salt and pepper if desired. Start out with the butter, brown sugar and salt and pepper. You can’t go wrong and it will become your favorite winter squash.

Eggplant Parmesan

When eggplants are in season! Feeds four.

e½ pound of eggplant per person (2 lbs)
1 jar of tomato sauce (24oz)
1 lb mozzarella cheese grated or shredded
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ lb fresh sliced mushrooms (optional)
2 eggs
Italian breadcrumbs

Peel and slice the eggplant in 3/8 – 1/2 inch thick slices. Salt lightly and put in a colander to sit for 30 minutes. Rinse the slices under water and pat dry. Beat the 2 eggs in a bowl and pour the breadcrumbs in another bowl. Dip each slice of eggplant in the egg and then coat with the breadcrumbs. Place slices on oiled cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes on each side at 400 degrees. Must turn them to get them lightly brown on both sides.

Place some tomato sauce in an ovenproof bowl and layer eggplant, tomato sauce, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese in layers until you have used all the eggplant. Top with extra parmesan cheese and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve hot.

Caesar Dressing

Treat yourself to homemade dressing without all the additives, atop some fresh-picked Romaine. Make it deluxe by adding homemade croutons!

1 garlic clove, minced
1 heaping teaspoon anchovy paste or mashed anchovies
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 half turns on the peppermill for freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, anchovy paste, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk well.

Easter Ham Pie

Old Nunamaker Recipe (3rd generation) as modified by DMN in 2013.

Pie Filling (original formula)
3.5 cups cubed ham
3 oz (.1875 lbs) grated Parmesan cheese
0.5 lb Ricotta cheese
Parsley chopped
Pepper fresh ground
11 eggs

Mix together ingredients with a whisk until creamy

Crust (modified)
Use pizza crust bread recipe
2 cups water
6 cups bread flour
2 tsp salt
3 tsp yeast
2 tbs olive oil

Let the dough rise 2-3 times
Roll out dough for deep dish pan. Should cover the sides completely
Use deep dish pizza pan
spread dough in pan and rub with olive oil before adding filling
pour in the filling
put top dough on and pinch edges together to prevent leakage
add slash in top for escaping steam.
Rub top with egg white plus a tablespoon of water in egg white.
Bake @375 degrees for 20 minutes, coat with egg white and another 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Maybe an extra 5-10 minutes until top is golden brown

Comments: Serve cold sliced with some mustard.

Cornmeal Buttermilk Pancakes

Special occasions call for special breakfasts. These pancakes fit the bill and are always there for Christmas and other special breakfasts in our household. Can double the recipe for bigger groups and freeze extras for heating in your toaster.
(5 generations have eaten them so far)

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup of corn meal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda

Instructions
1. Add baking soda to buttermilk, mix and let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Mix flour and corn meal with salt and baking powder.
3. Add beaten eggs to flour mixture.
4. Combine buttermilk and flour mixture a little bit at a time and mix well until smooth. (Use a mixer)
5. Cook pancakes on frying pan with a little oil
6. Serve hot with maple syrup.

Creamy Southern Coleslaw with Mayonnaise

Great way to make use of your spring green cabbage and carrots.

By Meathead Goldwyn

Recipe Yield: 8 servings Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients for the slaw:
1 pound green cabbage (about half a medium cabbage)
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1/2 small white onion shredded Ingredients for the dressing:
1 tablespoon distilled vinegar
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

METHOD:
Whisk ingredients and mix in the cabbage, onion and carrots. Let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour before serving

Spinach Soup

Put that fresh-picked spinach to use! Serves four.

1 lb fresh spinach
1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz)
3 cup whole milk or half and half
1 small diced onion
1 garlic clove crushed (optional)
4 TBS butter
¼ cup all purpose flour

Salt and Pepper to taste

Chop spinach and cook with onion in the chicken broth until tender. Cool and puree in blender or use immersion blender. Melt butter in saucepan and add garlic and flour. Add salt and pepper.Cook for several minutes to incorporate the flour. Wisk in the 3 cups of milk and heat to thicken. Add the spinach mixture. Bring to a boil and serve. Add a dollop of sour cream or some parmesan cheese if you like.

Zucchini Casserole

A Nunamaker Family Favorite...

Take 4 cups of thinly sliced zucchini or yellow squash (about 1 pound) and 1 cup thinly sliced onions,
Cook with a little water until barely tender on medium heat. Drain off all water.
Make a white sauce of:
2-3 tbsp butter - melt - stir in
2-3 tbsp flour
1 cup of milk (whisked in)
and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese (sharp, for example)
salt and pepper.
Stir sauce into zucchini/onions (put into fireproof dish).
Top with
2 slices of white bread, buttered and torn into very small pieces, and top with
1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes

Crusty White Bread

Although not a recipe for fruits or vegetables from our produce garden this easy bread recipe goes great with most menus

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour
1½ cups luke-warm water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp yeast

Instructions

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and yeast. Add the water and using a wooden spoon stir together until the mixture resembles a shaggy dough.
Cover bowl with a plastic wrap and let sit in room temperature for 8-18 hours (over night). Dough will bubble up and rise.
Place a shallow pan of water in the oven to make steam
Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and with floured hands form the dough into a ball. It will be very sticky as you remove it from the bowl.
Place dough on a cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal flour. Let the dough rest at least 30 min.
After dough is ready, preheat oven to 450 F.
Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove the steam tray at 20 minutes. Bread will be golden, crusty and delicious!

Dave's Crab Cakes

Perfect with a fresh Romain lettuce Caesar Salad using the dressing listed on this page.

1 lb crab lump meat
1 tbs mayonnaise
1 egg beaten
½ tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
½ tsp mustard
1 tbs white wine
1/4 cup panko bread crumps

Beat egg and mix well with all ingredients. Mix crab meat by hand gently. Cool in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Cook in frying pan with 2 tbs butter. Medium heat (5). Cover. 5 minutes per side. Take off lid and fry an additional 2 minutes. Serve.
(I also use bluefish instead of crab to make Bluefish Cakes using the same recipe)

Slow-Cooker Caramelized Onions & French Onion Soup

Fresh onions are usually available by the middle of July. Here is a way that you can have them all year long.

The slow-cooker is a great way to make big batches of luscious, brown, meltingly tender Caramelized Onions for whatever purposes you want them. Included is my recipe for great French Onion Soup using the caramelized onions as a base.

INGREDIENTS
For the Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions

Fill the crockpot full of sliced onions
1/4 cup of olive oil
salt

For the French Onion Soup:

beef and/or chicken broth
salt and black pepper to taste
slices (3/4 to 1-inches thick each) of French bread to cover the surface of your serving bowls
olive oil for drizzling
thin slices of Swiss cheese (or ¼ pound grated Swiss cheese, or more to taste)
grated mozzarella cheese

INSTRUCTIONS
To Make the Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions:

Halve, peel and thinly slice all of the onions. Fill the crockpot with onions. Use tongs to toss the contents so the onions are evenly coated with oil. Place the lid on the crock, turn the heat to HIGH, and cook for 9-10 hours, stirring and flipping the contents from bottom to top after 1 hour and again after 3 hours. After those stirs, you should not need to keep agitating the contents of the slow cooker unless your cooker runs hot. When the onions are deep golden brown, turn the slow-cooker off and portion out the onions into freezer safe containers. I vacuum pack them in double portions (~1 lb of onions) in quart freezer bags. (There are 2 of us).

To Make the French Onion Soup:

Turn on the broiler to high
Add the beef broth (amount based on the number of servings you are making) to a healthy portion of the caramelized onions over HIGH heat on the stove top. (Its hard to have too many onions in your soup) We use 1 lb of caramelized onions and 1 14.5 oz can of broth to make 2 bowls of soup.
While the soup heats, drizzle the bread slices with olive oil on both sides. Depending on the size and shape of the bowls you will be using to serve the soup, you may have to trim the bread to fit. Set aside.
When the soup is steaming hot, but not boiling, taste the broth and adjust with salt and pepper if necessary. Ladle the soup into broiler-safe bowls, top each bowl with bread slices .
Top each bowl with a generous handful of grated Swiss cheese and a slice of provolone cheese.
Put the bowls under the broiler until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and browned in places. Serve immediately.

Pink Eyed Purple Hulled Peas

This southern dish is easy to make and makes a great meal by itself or as a side dish vegetable. I get a lot of questions about preparation. This is one example, my favorite.

Ingredients -Meal for 2 people
1 lb of shelled peas
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped sweet peppers
Slice of ham or ham bone

Instructions
Cover the peas with water
Add onions and peppers
Add ham bone or slice.
Simmer on stove for 1 or more hours until water evaporates and forms a thick gravy.
Serve and enjoy!
Note: This recipe works well in a crock pot and can be started in the morning before leaving for work and enjoyed immediately when you get home in the evening. Also cooks quickly in an Instant Pot
Makes a great winter meal. We blanch and freeze the peas for winter use.

Tomato Basil Soup

Great way to use our Roma tomatoes, Basil and Garlic

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds Roma tomatoes, pealed and cut in half
4-6 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly ground salt and pepper
½ tablespoon olive oil
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
½ cup packed basil leaves
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1-2 cups water, chicken broth or vegetarian broth, depending on how thick you want the soup
Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
Optional add ins:
Whole milk/heavy cream for a creamy texture
Parmesan cheese, for a tangy, flavor enhancing flavor
A tablespoon or two of butter, for richer flavor

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place halved tomatoes and garlic cloves in a shallow pan and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Generously season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
While the tomatoes are roasting, you can make the caramelized onions: Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to a large pot and place over medium heat. Add the onion slices and stir to coat the onions with olive oil. Cook, stirring occasionally. Check onions every 5-10 minutes until they have completely caramelized and turned golden brown. This usually takes 20 minutes.
Once tomatoes and garlic are done roasting, allow them to cool for 10 minutes, then add them to a blender and blend until smooth. Next add basil and caramelized onions and blend again. ( Alternatively you can add the tomatoes to the large pot and use an immersion blender. )

After blending, transfer back to pot, turn to medium low heat and add in oregano, water or broth and salt and pepper to taste. From there you can add in any additional add-ons you want (as listed in the ingredients). Allow tomato soup to simmer 10 minutes before serving. To serve, garnish with parmesan cheese and serve with Crusty White Bread..