Liam's Grandma or Maggie in Real Life

Dinner anyone?

 My mom came up with this recipe years ago (like 40 years ago), and I hardly ever make it anymore because my husband is a vegetarian.  Occasionally, if he is out of town, I'll whip this up.  It's basically beef stew made on the grill.  You could also substitute the beef for chicken but I think it is best as a beef stew.  As with all of my recipes, these are approximations because I just cook and throw things together (unless, of course, I am following someone else's recipe for the first time).  Here it is:

1.5 pound stew meat cut into bite size pieces
1 small pkg of fresh baby carrots
5 celery stalks, chopped
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
3 large onions, peeled and cut in half
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 can of Campbell's tomato soup
5 sheets of tin foil - pull the foil out of its container about 12 inches out.

1.  Mound about a cup and a half of meat on each sheet of foil.

2.  Systematically mound about 6-8 baby carrots, 1/4 c. celery, 1/2 c. potatoes on top of the meat.  Place a half an onion in each pile.

3.  Open the can of tomato soup.  Sprinkle the diced garlic on top and stir it into the can of soup, mixing well.

4.  Dollop about 1 1/2 tbsp. of the soup/garlic mixture on top of the meat and veggies.  Keep going around until the can of soup is empty.

5.  Pull two sides of the tin foil up evenly until they meet and then roll it down evenly, closing it in on the "stew."  Roll each end up as well to close, but don't close it down  too tightly.  Leave some space because you will now prick a fork in the top of each "bag" to allow steam to escape.  Each little foil bag is now ready to be placed on the grill which you should have preheated.

6.  Grill on lower heat for about 25 minutes.  Check one of the bags by unrolling and pricking the carrots and potatoes with a fork.  When the veggies are tender and the meat is cooked through, it's ready. 

This is a delicious meal that can be served over noodles, rice, or alone.  The combination of the tomato soup and the juices from the meat and veggies is a distinct mouth watering flavor.  You can make each bag bigger or smaller, depending on the voracity of your family's appetite.  Enjoy!

Copyright 2009 liamsgrandma

Broccoli Lo Mein - Vegetarian Style

Here is a great vegetarian recipe I came up with while wandering through the supermarket one night after work without a clue of what to make for dinner.  This clueless state is even more emphasized due to the fact that my oven has been broken for over a freaking year now and my husband is a vegetarian (which has nothing to do with the oven being broken.  Regardless, the vegetarian wants to postpone getting a new oven until we redo the kitchen which has been in the "talk about phase" for two years now).  All I can say is it's a good thing I am ME.  Otherwise, he'd have been on the curb long ago with the old stove and a new, better, brighter, younger, easier to use model would be in their place.  One being called General Electric and the other Lieutenant Armand.

Here is the recipe I came up with which is probably already in some book somewhere or at Allrecipes.com because it's that simple and takes less than 30 minutes to make:

1 pound of vermicelli pasta
1 head of broccoli florets chopped to bite size pieces
1 bunch of green onions a/k/a scallions
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1/4 c. sesame oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 12 oz bottle of La Choy Garlic Ginger Stir Fry/Marinade Sauce

Cook about 3/4 lb. of the vermicelli according to the package directions.  While that is cooking:

Saute' the broccoli florets and green onions in the sesame oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add eggs and stir into mixture until cooked.

When the vermicelli is done, drain, rinse and add to the pan of broccoli, etc.  Stir in 3/4 bottle of the Garlic Ginger Sauce and add the sesame seeds.  Toss well.  Serve.  Absolutely delicious.

I added the egg for protein because my husband will eat dairy products.  You might want to add a flank steak or chicken (sliced into bite sized pieces) and saute' that with the broccoli and onions if you are a carnivore.

Copyright 2009 liamsgrandma

Lazy Days of Summer a/k/a Avoiding Cooking As Much As Possible

There are just some days when I come home from work and I do not want to cook.  And, if you knew me, you'd respond to that statement with a big, "SAY WHAT?"  Because knowing me, you know I love to cook.  And feed people.  Feeding people is probably the most satisfying thing I have ever experienced besides loving my husband, kids and grandson.  And I guess that's part of loving them.

During the summer months, though, the weather is so great and, often, I just want to come home and unwind by sitting on my patio awhile.  Or for a long while.  And that means the longer I relax, the less chances of a great meal. 

Last week, I morphed a meal into three days' worth of meals by adding ingredients, watering down, simmering. 

Day One:  I made a simple marinara sauce with lots of garlic.  Cook the pasta, add some italian bread as a side and voila!!!  Dinner.

Day Two:  I sauteed some onions and zucchini, threw that into the sauce, added a can of stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, more garlic, a can of garbanzo beans (for protein), crushed basil, and now I had a different sauce.  Which I put over penne this time.  Set out the rest of the italian bread and, well, yes, pasta two nights in a row.  Oh well!

Day Three:  I sauteed a small onion, green pepper, a little more garlic (can you tell I love garlic?), added a can of tomato sauce, a small can of tomato paste, red kidney beans, turmeric, crushed red pepper, smoked paprika, a can of chilies, topped with fresh cut cilantro and shredded cheese, and I had a delicious vegetarian chili.  Did I mention that my husband is a vegetarian? 

Each meal took me less than an hour to prepare and I was able to enjoy time on my patio. 

Maggie's Irresistible Southwestern Black Bean Salad

I thought I'd post this salad recipe I came up with one day a couple of summers ago when I was looking through the cupboards and the frig trying to come up with something palatable for dinner.  I thought of this recipe when I was rummaging once again in my pantry closet because I hadn't been to the store and we were hungry. 

Anyway, while rummaging, I found a can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup with an expiration date of November 2002.  No, that wasn't a typo.  2002.  As it would appear, I used to cook with the soup - often.  Because I had about 5 cans of such soup in the back of the closet, all with expiration dates ranging from 2002 to 2007.  Moral of this particular paragraph:  rotate your stock or clean out your closet occasionally instead of shoving more stuff in there without taking inventory of what you already have.  

Now, on to the salad.  As an aside, if you don't like "southwest," you can always remove the cilantro, cumin and chili powder.

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained
1/4 c. chopped purple onion
1 clove fresh garlic, diced
1 small green or red pepper, chopped
1/2 c. pine nuts, toasted
1/4 c. fresh chopped cilantro (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin (optional)
1/4 tsp. chili powder (optional)
1 pkg. Good Seasons Italian salad dressing

1. Prepare Good Seasons according to pkg. directions.  Set aside.
2. Combine all other ingredients in bowl and pour dressing over contents.
3. Chill for about an hour.  Serve.  Delicious.

Maggie's Irresistible Beef Stew

Now, mind you, I live in a vegetarian home for various reasons - better health, ethics, etc. But occasionally, when my husband is out of town, I let my carnivorous side out and make a beef stew that I do believe is to die for. With the cold weather approaching, there's nothing like a delicious stew.  Here is my own recipe and, as I have said in my previous recipes,  I am giving you the best guess on amounts because I am one of those hippie cooks - always creating something new out of what I have, always changing recipes written by others and never following the norm in cooking with regard to measuring, use of spices, herbs, and how much, etc. Feel free to play with this a bit.  This recipe should feed a family of four.

1 1/2 pounds of good steak (NOT stew beef), washed and cubed
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 quart of beef or chicken broth PLUS 1 c. water 
1 1/2 c. baby carrots
4 stalks of celery, sliced
1 LARGE onion, chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
4 medium or 5 small garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp. of dried, crushed thyme leaves or flakes
SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE - I never add this myself; I allow others to add their own salt and pepper but you could add it in as you see fit.
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. water

- Place vegetable oil in Dutch oven or kettle; turn heat on low to begin warming oil.
- Place flour in a large baggie or in a bowl. If in a baggie, add 6-7 pieces of meat at a time, close bag and shake to coat. Remove meat from bag, shaking off excess flour and place in pan. If in a bowl, roll meat in bowl of flour to coat, shaking off excess flour and place in pan. Continue this until all meat is in the pan.  Turn heat to medium and brown meat lightly on sides.
- Add broth, carrots, celery, onion, garlic and thyme to pan, beginning with the broth.
- Cover and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and let stew cook for about 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring often.
- Place cornstarch in a mug or small bowl and slowly add and stir the water into the cornstarch. Add mixture to stew at once and stir well, allowing stew to boil for another minute or so while the cornstarch thickens the broth.
- Remove from heat and enjoy!

Copyright 2008 liamsgrandma

Maggie's Irresistible Pasta Salad

So here is the very easy pasta salad that my husband goes nuts over.  I always make a huge batch of it so feel free to pair down the amounts on this.  It is great  as a main meal or as a side dish and I like enough for leftovers.  Please also note that you can exclude any one or more of the veggies in here - I put in a variety of vegetables and I also throw in either a can of kidney beans (rinsed) or more often, garbanzo beans (rinsed) (which are also known as ceci beans or chick peas).

1 small purple onion chopped coarsely
1 green pepper, chopped
1 c. broccoli florets, cut to bite-size
1 c. baby carrots, sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced into quarters
1 jar of roasted red peppers
1 12 oz. can of mushroom slices, drained
1 12 oz. can of garbanzo beans (or red kidney beans), drained and rinsed
1 envelope (pkg.) of Good Season's Salad Dressing
1 16 oz. box of tri-color rotini noodles

1.  Begin boiling the water for the noodles and cook them per package instructions.

2.  While that is going on, chop your veggies and toss them into a large bowl.  Drain the mushroom slices (you could also use fresh mushroom slices but I tend to like the canned ones better for some reason) and drain the beans and toss those in.  

3.  Prepare the Good Season's Salad Dressing according to package instructions.

4.  When the noodles are finished cooking, drain in cold water and add the cold noodles to the bowl of veggies, etc.

5.  Pour 3/4 of the Good Season's Salad Dressing over the entire batch and mix well.  Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to get the flavor through.  

6.  Reserve the remainder of the Good Season's Dressing for leftovers.  The noodles tend to suck up the liquid, so I add the rest of it the next day and toss it again.

You can throw in a cup of shredded cheese (cheddar, swiss or mozzarella) as well if you'd like.  I'm not much of a cheese person but everyone else in my family is so I occasionally feel generous and add the cheese.  

Note:  If you are going to eat the entire thing that day, just use all of the dressing.  Enjoy.  It is really good and light and tasty.

Copyright 2008 liamsgrandma

Maggie's Irresistible Potato Salad

I have to say that this is probably the easiest potato salad recipe ever and I get so many compliments on this. I don't know why, but it is just plain good with very few ingredients. I have to also tell you that I never measure anything when I cook. So I am going to guess here and encourage you to just be a bit wild with your cooking and go for flavor. For example, if I do find a new recipe that I want to try to work with and make into my own, if it calls for two cloves of garlic, I put in four. I am big, big, big on FLAVOR.

This should serve about 4-6 people:

8-10 large potatoes, unpeeled and whole
One large onion, chopped
Hellman's mayonnaise
Kraft Miracle Whip
celery SEED (not celery salt)
salt and pepper to taste

Preferably the night before:
Place potatoes in a large pot so that water is covering potatoes
Boil the potatoes until a fork can pierce through them easily
Place them in a bowl and refrigerate until the next day or do this in the morning and refrigerate until they are thoroughly chilled.  Peel the skin off of the potatoes and discard skins.  Cut potatoes into cubes and put into a large bowl.

Add the onion and probably 1 tablespoon of celery seed (I use a lot - see reference to FLAVOR above). 

Now, here's the part where you are just going to have to trust your instincts - put in 3 large spoonfuls of mayo.  Then add 2 large spoonfuls of Miracle Whip.  Always add one more part mayo than Miracle Whip.  Stir gently until all of the potatoes are coated.  Look at it and see if it looks dry.  If so, add more mayo and Miracle Whip.  You can go by your own taste in this as well.

Add about 1/4 tsp. of pepper and a 1/2 tsp. of salt.  I like to let the "eaters" add more of their own salt and pepper if they want.

If you have time to refrigerate again for another 30 minutes to let the flavor sink in, do so.

Like I said, people go nuts over this easy recipe.  I think that having enough onion and celery seed is really key.

Copyright 2008 liamsgrandma

FROM THE KITCHEN OF LIAM'S GRANDMA

Steamed Lentils with Red Potatoes and Vindaloo Sauce

There are a few options in making this dish and I am going to tell you the easiest way: One package of fresh steamed lentils (you can obtain these at Trader Joe's or possibly Aldi's) - if you can't get them, you will have to steam about a cup and a half of lentils yourself

6 small red potates, skin on, washed and diced

One large onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic diced

One and a half tbsp. of Vindaloo sauce (you can make this yourself or do as I do and go to an Indian store or the ethnic section of a large grocery chain and purchase it pre-made)

One to one and a half cups of water

One cup Jasmine rice uncooked

2-3 tbsp. of olive oil

2 tbsp. of fresh chopped cilantro

Cook red potatoes in skillet with olive oil on medium heat, stirring frequently, for about five minutes. Add onions and garlic and continue to saute' until onions are almost transparent. Throw in lentils and stir until well-mixed. Combine Vindaloo sauce and water in a bowl and stir well until a thin sauce emerges. Pour over concoction in skillet. Throw in the Jasmine Rice and simmer on low for about 15 minutes. If you are a cilantro lover, stir that in about 3 minutes before you end your simmering. De-lish. Very spicy, so have a glass of water handy.

Copyright 2008 liamsgrandma