Macaroni and Cheese

2 Cups elbow macaroni
1/4 C margarine or butter
1 small onion chopped-- ---if making for children that don’t like the texture of onion, (like a few of mine),  
    add 1 1/2 tsp of onion powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp flour
2 Cups milk
1 tsp hot sauce (optional)
8 oz cheese (I use an 8 ounce of Velveeta ---you can use American,
    cheddar, a mixture of cheddar, brick, mozzarella or whatever you have available).

Cook macaroni, according to package directions, using the least amount of cooking time.
Drain macaroni, saving 1/3 cup of the cooking water to add to cheese mixture.
Melt margarine in a large saucepan, add onion salt and pepper.
Cook over medium heat until onion is slightly tender.
Blend in flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly. (About 4 minutes).
Remove from heat.
Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Add cheese and reserved pasta water,  and stir until melted. Stir in the macaroni. Put all into a slightly greased 9”x9” baking dish. Bake uncovered in 375° oven for 25 minutes.

This dish is a favorite of our 2 boys, and on their birthday it would be a request for their special birthday meal. As an added treat, I cut up cooked chicken and add it to this cheesy dish. The kids love it. (Just add the chicken to the cheese sauce mixture). I know that the convenience of store bought, boxed macaroni and cheese is easily available, but you can’t match the taste of homemade. Nick and Sam will vouch for that.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Bev’s Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs

1 28 oz. can tomato puree plus 1 28 oz can water
1 18 oz. can tomato paste plus 2 18 oz cans water
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 tsp. sugar
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 C. Parmesan cheese

Place the puree, paste and 3 cans of water in a Dutch oven and cook on medium high heat until a slow boil starts. Reduce heat to low and place remaining ingredients in sauce mixture. Do not put a lid on pot, because the water has to evaporate a bit to thicken the sauce. Cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Now, if you like meatballs with your spaghetti, then while the sauce comes to a slow boil, mix all of the below ingredients together. Form into 1 1/2 inch size meatballs and drop into the hot sauce as you form them. Do not cook the meatballs in any way before you add them to the sauce (Look below for the story and the reasoning behind this tip).

Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
1 C. seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/4 C. milk
1/4 C. Parmesan cheese

The first time I ever made homemade sauce and meatballs for my husband (then my fiancee) was in my first apartment. When I combined all the meatball ingredients, I fried the meatballs in a skillet before putting them in the sauce. At dinner, he was gracious enough to compliment my cooking. The only comment was that the meatballs tasted like meatloaf instead of the meatball taste he was used to as a child. When I told him I fried them, he told me then that the meat should cook right in the sauce for over 3 hours, making them soft and tasty. While I was upset at the time after all the hard work I went through, I’ve since realized that cooking them in the sauce is the only way to go. In the 3 hours it takes for the sauce to get done, the meatballs absorb all the sauce's flavors. Now, he swears that this is the best sauce and meatball recipe he’s ever tasted. And, I agree.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Cauliflower Custard

1/2 head fresh cauliflower or 2 packages frozen cauliflower
4 eggs
1 C milk
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 C melted butter
1/4 C onion, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Prepare cauliflower; either steam fresh chopped cauliflower until tender, or boil frozen cauliflower until thawed. Drain and set aside. Beat 4 eggs. Add milk, cheese, butter, onion, salt and pepper. Butter a 1 quart casserole. Mix drained cauliflower with egg mixture. Can top with buttered bread crumbs if desired. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes.

Thinking of new ways to serve cauliflower? Try this recipe for a twist on that same old steamed side dish. Remember to make enough if you’re serving a crowd. If they love it like my family, a double recipe is the answer.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. onion powder or 1/3 c. freshly chopped onions
2 Tbsp. milk
1/4 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Combine all the above ingredients. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan heat:

1 12 oz. bottle chili sauce
1 10 oz. jar grape jelly
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard (the kind in your refrigerator)

Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low.

With wet hands, form meatballs into bite-sized pieces (size of a large marble). Makes about 40-50. Place into hot sauce. When all meatballs are in the sauce, reduce heat to low, cover with lid and cook for 40-45 minutes. Serve as an appetizer in a casserole with toothpicks at hand.

I knew these were good, but not until I saw a little boy at our Priest's "Going-Away" party standing over the casserole, toothpick in hand, finishing off many (and I mean MANY) of these babies.

I hope you enjoy them as much as Aaron did.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Sopak Girls Stuffed Cabbage (Halupki)

Meat Mixture:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 C. rice (long grain)
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
2 eggs (2 yolks and only 1 white)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 medium sized cabbage 

In a Dutch oven, pour 4 cups of water. Remove the core of the cabbage and place the cabbage into the water, cored side down. Place lid on pot. Turn heat to medium and steam leaves loose. Removing leaves gently with a fork, place them in water. Soften a little longer, then remove all leaves to a plate. Do this a little at a time. Set the leaves aside. You will need approximately 15-18 leaves. 

***Whatever water is remaining in the Dutch oven leave it there and turn off heat.

After removing 18ish leaves, take the rest of the cabbage that is remaining and slice up and place them in the pot with the remaining water...spread out evenly in the Dutch oven.

Mix the 1/2 C. rice (long grain), 1 Tbsp. parsley flakes, 2 eggs (2 yolks and only 1 white), 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and the 1 tsp. onion powder all together thoroughly. Now add the ground beef and incorporate the rice mixture into the ground beef.

***Skim the veins of the leaves of cabbage with a knife to whittle them down to the entire thickness of the leaves. (This allows the leaves to be easily rolled up).

To make the rolls, add a small amount of meat mixture at the spine end of each leaf (approximately the size of a golf ball that is formed into an oval shape, DO NOT COMPACT).
Roll leaves up, tucking the sides in.
Layer rolls over the layer of  sliced up cabbage, continuing until all the mixture is used up.

In a saucepan, mix sauce ingredients together and pour it all over the rolls to cover.

Sauce Ingredients:
1 10 oz. can tomato soup
2 tomato soup cans of water
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tomato sauce can of water
2 Tbsp. ketchup
3 beef bouillon cubes
1/8 tsp. pepper

*** If you have any leaves of cabbage left over, lay them flat over the top of the rolls.

Place a lid on the Dutch oven and cook on stove top on medium high until slightly boiling (approximately 20 minutes). Reduce heat to low or whatever temperature keeps a little bubbling going for 2-2 1/2 hours.

To me, these are the best!!!
There are no other halupkis that I enjoy eating. This recipe is so easy and tasty that once you make them, you can’t wait to make them again. The flavor is awesome. A must is to serve these with mashed potatoes and to use the tangy juice as a gravy.

This recipe is a “Sopak Girls” (Annie, my mom, Aunt Mary, Aunt Betty, Aunt Helen and Aunt Susie) concoction. The best memory of making these are with my mom and Aunt Mary. They were so fussy, and I mean that in a good way. The ingredients have to be spot on, absolutely no substitutions. They have to be rolled up small and ever so precise (I love it). It has to be cooked on the stove top, not in the oven. Oh my, I just realized, I’m getting just as fussy as they were (isn’t it great?).

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

STUFFED PEPPERS

The Stuffed Cabbage filling can also be used to stuff red, yellow and orange sweet peppers.
Just cut the tops of the peppers and clean out the insides. Wash well and drain.

 Make the Stuffed Cabbage filling and place a small amount of filling in each pepper. (the filling recipe will fill approximately 36 peppers).
Layer the filled peppers into a Dutch Oven pot.

Now prepare the sauce mixture as for the Stuffed Cabbage and pour over the peppers.
Cook as you do the Stuffed Cabbage:
Place a lid on and cook on stove top on medium high until slightly boiling. Reduce heat to low or whatever temperature keeps a little bubbling going for 2-2 1/2 hours.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!