Down Home Kitchen

1 lb. hamburger meat

1 med. onion chopped

1 pkg. Doritos

1 can Rotel

1 can Ranch Style beans

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 oz. grated cheese

Brown meat with onion and drain fat.  Place mix in casserole dish, then layer doritos, rotel, beans and soup with doritos to be the last.  Cover with foil and bake at 350*F for 45 mins, adding cheese during the last 15 mins. and returning to oven to melt cheese.

Large Fritos can be substituted……

3/4 c. butter or margarine

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c. chopped maraschino cherries

1 c. sugar

2 T. milk

2 1/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 c. nuts or dates

2 1/2 c. sugar frosted flakes

Combine all ingredients except frosted flakes and cherry halves, mix well and shape dough into balls.  Roll balls of dough in crushed corn flakes and top each ball with a maraschino cherry half.  Place on cookie sheet and bake at 375* F  for 15 min. or till light brown. 

While I’m not a big fan of salmon, several of my family members are.

Herbed Salmon
1 lb. salmon fillet, skin removed

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 T. thyme, chopped

3 T. olive oil

Salsa Recipe Follows

Rub salmon with salt & pepper, sprinkle or rub with herbs till coated evenly, let stand covered at room temperature for 30 mins.  Heat skillet over high heat, add oil, cook salmon 4 to 5 mins. per side, till crispy on both sides, about medium cooked, move to individual plates and top with salsa.  Serves 4

Cucumber & Peach Salsa

Remove peel & pits and finely dice 3 ripe firm peaches.  Finely dice cucumber, 1 sm. red onion, 1/4 c. fresh mint leaves.   Combine peaches and other ingreds.  in bowl with juice of 1 lime, 1 orange, 1/2 t. salt & 1/4 t. pepper, cover and refrigerate, till served.

Parsley is a diuretic that purifies the blood and accelerates the excretion of toxin.  It stimulates appetite and aids digestion and metabolism.  The herb can also ease bloating, stomach cramps and nausea, as well as relieve arthritis symptoms.  Eaten regularly it reduces heart rat and lowers blood pressure.  To keep your breath fresh chew on fresh parsley leaves.  For treatment of kidney stones, brew up some parsley tea.

Well, as you can tell ………there was plenty of food…..  ….front and center was my dressing……..right next to it on the right sliced turkey and then just to the right of the turkey, Mom’s sliced ham……..above the dressing…….is green onions…..the creamed potatoes and to the right of them is the sweet potatoes, topped with melted, marshmallows……….over on the left is some dishes that my sister left covered that she brought, they kept getting cold for some reason………..Above the potatoes were her deviled eggs and banana pudding, which you can’t see, because they are covered…….too………. she was supposed to bring a fruit salad, which she forgot……..

Oh I kept my giblet gravy on the stove……..since there wasn’t enough room for it on the table and was able to re-heat it ever so often and keep it warm…… 

Hope all of you had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving…….

I’ve started thinking about my grocery list for Thanksgiving.  How about you all?  I already have the turkey and just need to get the rest of the fixings.  Guess I’ll make my homemade pecan pies again this year, my spouse said he wants one.  I was seriously thinking of being lazy this year, but it looks like I’ve started something that I can’t change, unless some one else can do it better………either way, I’ve got to do the cooking again and will be plenty exhausted when it’s over.

Have you ever had a disaster happen to your cooking on a holiday?  If so, tell me about it and I will be glad to print it, with your link.

Many people eat too much salt and think they can’t live without it.  Actually, they can’t live with it, if it’s too much. It is no secret that too much salt can be bad on your health. It causes the body to retain water, which can lead to heart disease, kidney stones, fluid retention and high blood pressure. Low-sodium diets are often prescribed to help keep these conditions under control.  The American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults limit their sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams a day. A quarter teaspoon of sodium contains 600 milligrams of sodium. To avoid getting too much sodium, read labels.
One of the biggest problems is that sodium is hidden in foods that many would call healthy. Low-fat frozen entrees and canned foods are among the biggest…Most sodium, comes from regular table salt.  I think this is a good article, an thought you would benefit from reading it.

I put some pork country ribs on the grill yesterday evening, and let them smoke for a while.  It sure smelled great, when I would go in and out to turn the meat.  I threw a few pieces of onion on the grill with them to flavor the meat.

I’ve been trying to cut back on  eating fried foods and putting seasonings on my meat that’s going to just add calories.  So I put some garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, parsley & basil in a shaker to season with.  The smell was outstanding and so was the taste.  I had a few ribs, with a sliced tomato, drizzled with salad dressing……..and that was the extent of my meal.  NO bread or anything fattening, like I normally do………Now, if I can just get me to walking and exercising, to get rid of this unwanted FAT!

Parsley is a diuretic that purifies the blood and accelerates the excretion of toxin.  It stimulates appetite and aids digestion and metabolism.  The herb can also ease bloating, stomach cramps and nausea, as well as relieve arthritis symptoms.  Eaten regularly it reduces heart rat and lowers blood pressure.  To keep your breath fresh chew on fresh parsley leaves.  For treatment of kidney stones, brew up some parsley tea.