Mama Sarah's Family Recipes

I'm back

2008-11-23T12:14:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone! It's been way too long since I last added a new recipe to my blog. Life sure gets crazy sometimes and I lose track of time. I went through my cookbooks again and found a couple new recipes to share. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does. Take care!!

Aunt Nikki's Diced Potatoes (they are great for any meal!)

6-7 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 stick of butter
Garlic salt, to taste
Parmesan cheese, to taste

Boil diced potatoes until softened, drain. Melt butter in large skillet and add diced potatoes. Sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan cheese. Cook until heated through. Enjoy!

Mimi's Meatloaf

2-4 lbs. ground beef ( I prefer to use ground beef and ground turkey)
1 egg per pound
1 tbsp. ketchup
2 tbsp. milk
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 slices white bread, torn into pieces
Parsley to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Put into a large loaf pan and bake at 375 for at least an hour. If you have a large meatloaf you may need to cook it for at least 1 hr. 15 mins.
My entire family loves this recipe. Sometime I use this special meatloaf mix that Wegmans sells. They have a mix of ground beef, pork and veal that they do especially for meatloaf and it makes for a great dinner. Enjoy!

2008-11-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

Hi all! Sorry that it's been awhile since adding a new recipe. Life has been rather hectic and I haven't been home long enough to get on the computer for anything other than checking the weather report. I finally had a chance to dig out a couple recipes to share with everyone. The first is an appetizer that my family has always enjoyed. I really can't remember where it came from but I remember eating it as a kid. The other recipe is a great side dish that my sister gave me. I make this one all the time in the summer to go with hot dogs and hamburgers but it's great with anything. I hope you like them!

Spinach Balls

2 boxes frozen chopped spinach (cooked and drained)
2 cups Pepperidge farm stuffing
1 large chopped onion
6 beaten eggs
3/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. accent
2 tsp. pepper

Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate one hour. Shape into small balls and freeze for one hour. Bake for 20 mins. at 350. Enjoy!!!

Potato Casserole

2 pounds hash browns ( I prefer shredded and seasoned)
1 can cream of chicken or cream of celery soup (I use cream of celery)
1/4 cup onion, chopped
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. shredded cheddar ( I use extra sharp to give it some kick)
1 small bag of potato chips, crushed
1/4 cup melted butter
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and add the hash browns last. Spread into a 13x9 inch pan. Sprinkle with the crushed potato chips. Bake, covered, at 350 for 50 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 10 minutes more. Enjoy!!!!

2008-11-04T05:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Election Day- I hope!
Here it is election day. I personally can't wait for it to be over. I have had enough of all this negativity and am ready to move on. I thought I would get away from all the news and just share a couple more new recipes with everyone. I found a great dinner recipe that mom used to make all the time and I also have a dessert recipe for you that a wonderful friend always made for work parties. Enjoy!

Chicken Cacciatore

21/2-3 pounds broiler-fryer chicken,cut
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup flour
2 cups sliced onions
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can (11oz.) tomatoes, drained
1 can (8oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (3oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. oregano

Wash chicken and pat dry. Melt shortening in any large skillet. Coat chicken pieces with flour. Cook chicken in shortening over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. Remove chicken and set aside. Add onions, green peppers and garlic to skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Add chicken to sauce. Cover tightly; simmer 30 to 40 minutes or until thickest pieces are fork tender. Serve with pasta, rice or mashed potatoes.

Cheesecake Brownies

1 package (9x13) brownie mix

Make brownie mix according to package directions. Spread half the mixture in greased 9x13 pan.
In a small bowl:
6oz. softened cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Beat these 4 ingredients until smooth. Pour over brownie mix in the pan. Spoon remaining brownie mixture over the top and swirl with a knife to marbelize. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Cool and chill for 1 hour. Cut into bars and enjoy.

Have a great day!

Happy November!

2008-11-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it's actually November 1st! Where has the year gone? I took down all my Halloween decorations this morning and pulled out all the turkeys. Just doesn't seem possible that the holiday season is already upon us! As usual I have been going through my recipes- much better entertainment these days as compared to the television ( I will turn it back on when the election season is over!). I have 2 new recipes that I would like to share with you. One I got from my sister and the other I have had so long that I don't remember where it came from! Either way, both recipes are delicious and I hope you enjoy them!

Turkey Sausage Stew

1/2 pound smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2 in. slices ( I prefer to use the entire pound!)
1/2 cup sliced onion
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 can beef consomme
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (I use carrots, broccoli and water chestnuts)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
hot cooked rice

In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown sausage and onion in hot oil. Stir in consomme, frozen vegetables and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat , cover and simmer 1-2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp- tender. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Stir slowly into the stew mixture. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens, about one minute; stirring constantly. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Chicken Fingers

1 pkg. chicken fingers (chicken tenders)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

Mix egg in a bowl with the 1/2 cup milk. Place the bread crumbs in a dish; add garlic and parsley to the bread crumbs. Dip chicken fingers into the egg and then roll in the bread crumbs. Fry in 1/4 cup of oil for about 1/2 hour turning after 15 minutes.

Enjoy all!!!

2008-10-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Yes, it's time for another recipe. I think I am going to stick with the foods that warm you up. We may be looking at our first snow fall tomorrow so I need all the help I can get to stay warm! I hope you have enjoyed the other recipes I have shared. I am working on putting more here. Please feel free to share your favorite fall and winter foods, too! I love to try something new.

Beef n' Noodles (from my sister and I think from her mom in law)

1 round or sirloin steak (1 inch thick) cut into cubes
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 stick butter
1 package noodles
flour

Melt butter in kettle. Cut meat into cubes and roll in flour. Brown meat in butter. Add water and bouillon cubes. Let simmer on high. Water will thicken to make gravy. Turn to simmer and let simmer 1 hour longer. Cook noodles until tender. Pour beef mixture over noodles. You may need to add extra water if it gets too thick.

My kids love this recipe so that's what makes it one of my favorites. I hope you all enjoy it as well!!!

Childhood favorite

2008-10-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

Here it is a cool frosty morning in New York and I am going through my recipe book once again. Days like there make me look harder for those recipes that always warm you up on the inside and help you get through your day. I pulled out one of my very favorites. Mom made this one a lot when we were kids and it brings back many great memories for me. My kids love this recipe although my youngest only eats the noodles with the sauce on it. Heaven forbid anyone eats the meat in it or the mushrooms! Here it is- enjoy!!!

Beef Stroganoff

1 pound beef tenderloin or sirloin
2 tablespoons margarine
1/2 lb. mushrooms (canned or fresh)
1 medium onion, minced
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon flour (I actually prefer to use cornstarch- I think it tastes better in this recipe)
1 cup sour cream
Hot cooked noodles

Cut eat into 1 inch strips. Melt butter and add mushrooms and onion until tender. Add meat and cook until done (15-20 mins.). Save 1/3 broth, stirring in remaining broth, ketchup,garlic and salt. Simmer 15 mins. Blend broth and flour (or cornstarch) and add to the pan. Heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Stir in sour cream. Once heated serve over hot cooked noodles.

Happy Fall everyone!!!

A great dinner to warm you up in the fall

2008-10-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

I was going through my recipe book again the other day looking for a recipe that will warm you up on a cool fall evening. There are so many things that I love to cook this time of the year so I will try and make a point to share all of them with you. The hardest part about cooking in my house is trying to find something that everyone will eat. My husband will eat just about everything and anything I cook but my youngest can be very picky! This recipe has something in it for everyone so I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!!!

Beef Stew

1lb. stew beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
1tbsp. vegetable oil
3 cups hot water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4-6 carrots cut into pieces
2 stalks celery, diced
4-6 potatoes, cut into 1in. pieces
1/2 onion, chopped
1- 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, cut up
2 tbsp. cornstarch + 2 tbsp. water
parsley to taste

Cook and stir beef in oil in pan for about 15 minutes or until browned. Add 3 cups hot water, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 1/2-2 hours or until beef is tender. Stir in vegetables, 1/2 tsp. slat/ Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Bring to a boil and stir in cornstarch and water to thicken.

I like to serve this with warm crescent rolls. Everyone in my house loves them and they are great for mopping up all the leftover juice off your plate! I am going to share my mom's applesauce recipe next because I think it goes great with beef stew. This time of year you can never have too many apple recipes so feel free to share some!

Mimi's Applesauce

6 large apples, peeled and sliced thin ( I like to use 20 ounce apples)
1/8 tsp. butter
sugar and cinnamon to taste- all depends on how sweet the apples are and how sweet you like your applesauce
water

Put enough water in the pan to cover the bottom and add a dash of salt. Add the apples, cinnamon and sugar. Cook on medium low. keep stirring and mashing apples until you have the consistency that you want. Some of us prefer chunky applesauce and others don't. Add water, cinnamon and sugar as needed. Make sure that the bottom of the pan does not get dry. I keep tasting it as I go along. Sometimes I need a lot of sugar and other times I don't.

Have a great fall everyone. I hope you enjoy my recipes!!!! :)

Great meal for dinner and so easy to make!

2008-10-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Time to add another recipe. I have had this one since high school and it has always been one of my favorites. It is so easy to make. My 9 year old daughter loves this recipe as does my husband. Now getting my 5 year old to eat it is another thing. All she wants are the noodles. I guess we all have to have one child that is fussy don't we? Anyhow, I love this recipe and I have made it many times. I tweak things my own way to make it taste how I want. I love garlic so I tend to go overboard with it. This is one of those meals that you can change to your own taste. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Lemon Clam Sauce for Linguine (serves 6)

1/2 cup butter or margarine
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed ( I use garlic salt when I don't have fresh garlic- the more the merrier!)
2- 6oz. cans of chopped clams, reserve the liquid
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup Parmesan cheese (opt.)
1 tablespoon parsley
1 1/2 lbs. linguine, cooked according to package directions
1/4 bay leaf (opt.)

Heat 3 tablespoons of margarine and the olive oil in a saucepan. Saute onion and garlic until tender but not brown. Add the reserved clam liquid, lemon juice, parsley and bay leaf. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until liquid is reduced to 1 cup. Remove the bay leaf. ( I don't use the bay leaf and it tastes great). Stir in the clams and cooked until heated thoroughly. Add the remaining butter. Stir until melted. Pour the sauce over the hot linguine. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!!

Another Great Recipe

2008-10-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

I am still waiting for my first visitor so I thought I would add another recipe to the site. I have been going
through all my recipe books. It takes a lot of effort because they seem to be all over the place! Who has the time to keep them organized? With 2 kids who are very busy and a husband who is always on the go it's the last thing I worry about. I am hoping to change that because it certainly would make it easier to share them with all of you. I am new at this so please be patient with me! Maybe we can grow together. My family history is very important to me and it's something that I want to preserve for my kids and their kids.
Before I share my latest recipe I thought I might tell you a little more about my family. I have two wonderful little girls named Amanda and Kaylee. Amanda is 9 and she is my Einstein. She is scary smart and I have no idea where that comes from! Kaylee is 5 and she's my 'free spirit'. She is very easy going and always happy. My girls get along great (most of the time!). Needless to say we have had our share of adventures! Maybe this site could be used to share family stories as well- if anyone out there is interested! I love to hear funny stories about kids- especially now that mine are getting older and are gone to school all day. I would love to hear all the funny little things they do or the funny ways that they say things- I miss that so much! So enough of my chatter- here is another recipe! Feel free to share!

Aunt Nikki's Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup peanut butter (sometimes I add a little more!!!)
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl mix shortening and peanut butter. Add sugar and brown sugar; still until well mixed. Add eggs and vanilla. In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Stir into peanut butter mixture. Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet- press down lightly with a fork. Bake approximately 10 minutes or until light brown on the edges. Let cool for 1 minute and enjoy!

Sharing Family Recipes

2008-09-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

As time has gone by and I have gotten older, I have started to realize that there are many many family recipes that my grammie and my mom have made over the years that no one has bothered to write down. These are the recipes that remind you of happy childhood days. The days when you would walk into the kitchen and instantly know what was cooking on the stove or baking in the oven. Sad to say with my family, many of these 'secret' family recipes have never been written down. They have been passed along from one generation to the next but then the inevitable happens- someone forgets how it was done! Does it get any sadder than that? Now that my grammie is failing and no longer able to share her recipes or give us little hints I think that it's time to start writing down the ones I do know (or my mom or my sister) and share them with other people. I realize that there are many recipe websites out there but I think one more can't hurt. I will update and share new recipes every chance I get. I am open to suggestions and other recipes as well! I would love to try out any family recipes that you may be willing to share. We may even be able to remember some 'forgotten' recipes together!
Here is one of my very favorite recipes straight from grammie's kitchen:
Grammie's Skillet Cookies

2 eggs yolks
1- 8oz. package chopped dates
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup white sugar
1 stick butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt
2 cups Rice Krispies
powdered sugar
Add all ingredients into a frying pan and cook until dates are softened. I find it easiest if the egg yolks are added last. Remove mixture from the heat. Add the 2 cups of Rice Krispies, Being very careful because it can still be hot- form into balls and roll in the powdered sugar. Then they are ready to eat! I constantly rinse my hands with cool water to keep the cookie mixture from sticking to my hands.
I hope someone else enjoys these cookies just as much as my family and I do!!!!