Recipe Vault
I’ve been collecting recipes for over 35 years. My collection actually began in my head by watching my mom cook and bake (I’ll just call her Mama or Omi in my posts). Mama never wrote down a recipe. Mama learned to cook by watching her mama (Oma) cook. As a little girl, I would sit in the kitchen with Mama as she kneaded dough for home baked bread, or I’d help Mama chop nuts when we baked cookies. I was being trained to cook and didn’t even realize it. And, that’s how my love of cooking began.
As I grew up and started cooking more on my own, I started writing down the recipes Mama made so that I could share them with friends and family. In addition to the recipes published in my posts, I will have tons of my favorite recipes to share here with you.
Currently recipes are listed in alphabetical order and will eventually be categorized as I add more recipes. I just started to add recipes to the vault, so please be patient while the vault is being filled.
- 1 pound ground chuck (80/20)
- 1 pound center cut thin bacon, sliced down the middle to form 4-1/2” strips
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- ¼ cup plain dry bread crumbs
- 2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 TBS milk
- 1-1/2 tsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp unsalted butter
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs except oil and butter.
- Mix well with a spoon, or just dig in and use your hands.
- Form into balls about 1” in size. I like to use a 1” ice cream scooper to keep size uniform.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil and the butter over medium high heat. Using butter and oil, gives the meatballs their nice brown color.
- When heated, and butter is melted add the meatballs and cook until nicely browned on all sides.
- Place meatballs on baking rack covered with paper towels to absorb any excess grease/oil, and cool slightly until you can handle them.
- Wrap meatballs with bacon strips and place seam side down on ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes until meatballs are cooked through and bacon is crisp.
- Place cocktail toothpick or fork into each meatball before serving.
- I like to serve these with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce for dipping.
- Havarti Cheese
- Pepper Jack Cheese
- Tillamook Sharp Cheddar
- Red grapes
- Strawberries
- Kiwi fruit
- Package of 4" bamboo skewers
- Cube cheeses into 1/2 cubes.
- Wash fruit.
- Pull grapes off of vines.
- Remove strawberry hulls and slice in half.
- Peel kiwi fruit and slice in 1/4 inch slices.
- On 4" skewers, thread 1 cube Havarti, Sharp Cheddar, Pepper Jack Cheese.
- On 4" skewers, thread 1 grape, kiwi slice, strawberry half.
- Continue threading cheese and fruit on skewers until desired quantity is obtained.
- You can use any of your favorite cheeses, and fruits that skewer well such as melon slices.
- 1 TBS Hungarian paprika
- 1 TBS onion powder
- 1 TBS garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano leaves
- 1 tsp thyme leaves
- 1 tsp marjoram leaves
- 1 TBS kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 10 chicken drumsticks or 20 wing drumettes (with skin on or skinless)
- 1 TBS olive oil
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In small bowl, mix together all dry ingredients to make the spice rub.
- Wash and towel dry chicken, and place on broiler pan.
- Lightly brush chicken with olive oil.
- Sprinkle with spice rub and lightly rub into chicken skin.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until chicken skin is nicely browned and crisp.
- You can also use this rub to bake a whole chicken. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 1-1/2 to 2 hours depending on size of the chicken.
- 1 head of Romaine (cut in half lengthwise) any wilted leaves removed
- 2 TBS extra-light olive oil
- 4 slices crisply fried bacon
- ¼ sliced almonds
- 2-3 TBS dried cherries
- ¼ cup Feta crumbled
- 2 TBS balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- Heat grill to medium high heat. Drizzle inside halves of romaine with olive oil. Place romaine halves insides down on grill. Grill until lightly charred (approx. 5 minutes).
- Remove from the grill and place on a serving platter. Top with bacon, almonds, cherries, and feta. Then drizzle with balsamic vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Slice both halves across diagonally in about 1 ½ inch strips, serve using salad tongs.
- This recipe can be made either on an outdoor grill, or on a grill pan, indoors.
- 1/2 lb pancetta, cut into 1/2 inch cubes - use kitchen scissors to make this a snap!
- 1/2 lb thick sliced apple wood bacon, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 2 TBS salted butter
- 1 TBS garlic, minced
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 - 1/2 cups yellow onion, chopped
- 2 medium sized Golden Delicious apples, sliced and diced into thin chunks
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 5 quarts sourdough bread cut into 1 inch cubes (approx 1-1/2 lb loaf) aged in your cupboard a few days to dry out a little if possible
- 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 TBS chopped fresh thyme leaves
- Cut bread into 1" cubes and leave out, uncovered in a large bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large skillet add oil, pancetta and bacon. Over medium high heat, brown pancetta and bacon until crisp, stirring often (approx. 10 min).
- Add celery, onion and garlic. Sauté approximately 5 more minutes.
- Add butter and melt. Stirring butter into the mixture.
- Add apples and sauté about four more minutes.
- Pour mixture over bread cubes, mix together with parsley and thyme.
- Add 2 cups chicken broth and mix well.
- Spoon stuffing into buttered 9 x 13 casserole dish, pressing down lightly to fill the pan.
- Bake until brown and crusty, about 45 minutes.
- Can be made up to a day in advance. Prepare stuffing and chill, covered. Bake 1 hour if coming out of the fridge.
- 1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 pound deli roast beef sliced for sandwiches
- 2 large sun dried tomato wraps/tortillas
- Combine cream cheese, onions, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until mixed well.
- Divide mixture evenly and with a rubber spatula, spread onto two wraps/tortillas.
- Top with sliced roast beef.
- Roll tightly and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate 30 minutes until firm, or up to one day ahead.
- Cut diagonally into 1/2" to 1" slices depending on desired serving size.
- I highly recommend refrigerating over night to let the flavors meld.
- Also, you can use garden vegetable cream cheese instead of plain cream cheese. It's delicious.
- 1 cube salted butter
- 1 package vermicelli, crumbled (approximately 2 cups)
- 2 cups rice (Uncle Ben's works best)
- 1 box chicken stock (I like Swanson) - 4 cups
- In a large sauce pot, over medium-high heat, melt butter; then add vermicelli sauté until nicely browned.
- Add rice, then chicken stock. Stir until mixed well.
- Reduce heat to low, cover with lid, and simmer for about 20 minutes - do not lift lid!
- After 20 minutes, remove lid and give the rice a good stir.
- Return lid to the pot and let the rice cook on low for about another 20 minutes until all liquid is absorbed and mixture is light and fluffy.
- 48 oz container of rainbow sherbet
- 1-3 bottles sparkling cider (apple, grape, or even soda or better yet, champagne - whatever you prefer)
- 12 glasses - any kind you like. I like to use Ball jars and colored glasses, even champagne flutes.
- Garnish of choice if desired (lime slices, lemon slices, orange slices)
- Fill glasses 3/4 full with sparkling cider (leave room for sherbet scoop to fit into glass and not spill liquid)
- Add one scoop of sherbet in each glass.
- Serve immediately.
- Chill glasses ahead of time for a nice chilly desert and drink combined.
- 1 lemon
- 1 TBS olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black ground pepper
- 4 medium chicken thighs or chicken breasts all skinless and boneless (about 1-1/2 pounds)
- 2 yellow summer squash (cut into wedges, or diagonal slices)
- 2 zucchini (cut into wedges or diagonal slices)
- ¼ cup fresh chives, chopped
- Grilled lemon slices for garnish
- From lemon, grate 1 tablespoon peel and squeeze 3 tablespoons lemon juice. In medium bowl, whisk together lemon peel and juice, oil, salt, and pepper; transfer 2 tablespoons to cup.
- Add chicken thighs and/or breasts to bowl with lemon-juice marinade; cover and let stand for 15 minutes at room temperature or 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Meanwhile, preheat grill, or prepare charcoal fire for covered direct grilling over medium heat.
- Discard chicken marinade. Place chicken and squash on oiled, hot grill rack. Cover grill and cook chicken and squash 10-12 minutes or until juices run clear when thickest part of chicken is pierced with the time of a knife and squash and zucchini are nicely browned, turning pieces to brown evenly and pulling off the grill when done.
- Transfer chicken and veggies to a cutting board and cut chicken into 1-inch wide strips; cut veggies into edible size pieces.
- To serve, on large platter, toss veggies and reserved lemon-juice marinade, then toss with chicken and sprinkle with chives. Garnish with grilled lemon slices.
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce, cut into small wedges (1")
- 1 box of grape tomatoes
- 2-3 small cucumbers (mini's if available) or english, sliced about 1/4" thick
- Carrot chips (sliced in the bag) or make your own "coin cut" carrots
- 1 green bell pepper cut into 1" chunks
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1" chunks
- Cocktail toothpicks (with the the decorative tops/ends - very important to hold veggies together)
- Wash and prep all veggies, removing stems and seeds except in cucumbers, unless desired.
- Thread toothpicks with veggies starting with lettuce. Push to the end of decorative top.
- Follow with remaining vegetables, but put grapes on the end to hold the "salad" in place.
- Drizzle with your favorite dressing and serve. I like Southwest Ranch on mine.
- You can assemble the "salad" and refrigerate, covered until ready to serve. When ready to serve, simply drizzle with dressing.
- 3-medium zucchini, washed, dried and cut into 3"-4" wedges
- 2 eggs
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1-1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Hungarian paprika
- 3TBS grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- Olive oil cooking spray
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Crack eggs into a medium size bowl and whisk together with oil until combined.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic salt, pepper, paprika and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Pour mixture onto a large sheet (about 1 foot) of parchment paper to create a work surface. Spread breadcrumbs out over the parchment sheet so that you can dredge zucchini in the mixture without getting all the breadcrumbs moist.
- Spray baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
- Take zucchini, a few wedges at a time and dip into egg wash. Remove with tongs, then immediately dredge in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Carefully place coated zucchini on prepared baking sheet, spaced about 1/2" apart.
- Bake 15-20 minutes until lightly brown, then using tongs, carefully turn zucchini and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until brown and crispy.
- Serve alone or with ranch dressing.
- I like to serve with Ranch Dressing for dipping.