Taco Casserole

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 pound ground beef or 1 can vegeburger
2 packets taco seasoning
1C tomato sauce or salsa
1 15oz. can pinto beans
1 15oz. can whole kernel corn
1 recipe of Prize Winning Cornbread Muffins

Directions
Saute onion and bell pepper.  In a separate large pan, combine meat with spices and cook.  Add tomato sauce.  Stir in pinto beans and corn.  Add sauteed onion and bell peppers to meat mixture.  While this mixture is cooking, prepare the cornbread recipe.  Pour meat/vegetable mixture into a 9x13 pan.  Pour cornbread mixture on top and spread so that the meat/vegetable mixture is covered.  Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

Taco Seasoning

There are several different spice mixes available at the grocery store.  Previously, there is a post for Chili Spice Mix #1.  The taco seasoning mix is slightly different.  I use it for the Taco Casserole recipe.  Preparing your own mixes at home provides better flavor, especially with fresh ingredients, and also eliminates the preservatives included in the commercial mixes.  

Mix together in a bowl (equivalent of two commercial packets)
2T chili powder
1T ground cumin
2t salt
1t paprika
1/2t garlic powder
1/2t onion powder
1/2t crushed oregano
1/4t crushed red pepper
pinch black pepper

Gravy

I was around 12 years old when I visited the orthodontist to receive braces.  I remember that my dad took me to the appointment.  After a couple of hours of keeping my mouth open while my new hardware was installed, I was hungry and ready to eat.  I asked the staff, "What can I eat?"  They replied, "You can eat anything you want."  I asked my dad if we could eat at Wendy's and he obliged.  However, when I bit down into my hamburger I just burst out crying - my teeth hurt so much!  All I could do was sort of gum some fries like an old man.  It was not a happy experience, but definitely memorable.  Yesterday, my daughter, now 12, had her braces put on.  She is undergoing the same pain as her teeth re-adjust.  For dinner tonight I made mashed potatoes.  Initially, I did not make gravy, but she asked for that too.

Ingredients
2T olive oil or butter
2T flour
salt, to taste
1C broth (chicken, vegetable, or beef)

Directions
In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil or melt the butter.  Using a wooden spoon or small wire whisk add the flour and salt to the oil/butter and mix well.  Cook for 1-2 minutes.  Pour in the broth and stir to combine with flour/oil mixture.  Make sure no clumps remain.  Keep stirring until gravy boils for approximately 1 minute.  Gravy will thicken as it cooks.

Pancakes

My father-in-law was born on the border of Korea and the USSR (now Russia) at the edge of Siberia.  As communist forces entered Korea, my father-in-law along with his parents and siblings fled south into to what is now South Korea.  During the Korean Conflict, he found refuge on an American ship.  It was there that he first tasted pancakes.  Years later, right after my wife and I married, we fixed pancakes for breakfast while my in-laws were visiting.  My father-in-law was excited and said he hadn't tasted such good pancakes since the 1950s.  Because they are my daughter's favorite breakfast, we have pancakes every Sunday.

Preparation
Preheat two pans on medium heat.

Ingredients (makes 4 pancakes, 5-inches in diameter)
1/2C white flour
1/2C oat flour (see below)
2T sugar
2t baking powder
1 egg or 1T ground flax seed + 2T water
1T oil
1C milk

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Oil pans lightly.  Pour approximately 1/3C batter into each pan.  When bubbles formed on top begin to pop, flip the pancake over and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until both sides are golden brown. 

Oat flour
Take 2C of oats (quick or regular) and grind in a blender until a flour consistency is reached.  Store in a sealed container or plastic bag.

Classic Coleslaw

For six months I worked in Jasper, Alabama.  There was a great barbecue place - I don't remember the name - that served fantastic barbecue and sides.  This was a small restaurant with just a few tables.  If you decided to eat there, you had to arrive early for lunch.  The proprietor only prepared so much barbecue and sides for the day.  When the restaurant ran out of its daily supply, it closed for the day.   For burgers and barbecue, you can serve coleslaw on the sandwich or as a side.  You definitely need to prepare this ahead of time for maximum flavor.  

Toss together in a bowl:
6C cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, shredded

Combine in a separate bowl:
2/3C mayonnaise
2T vinegar
2T olive oil
2T sugar
1/2t celery salt
1/4t salt

Stir liquid mixture into tossed cabbage/carrot mixture.  Chill before serving.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

At the high school I attended, the location for the senior class trip was Washington, DC.  Apparently, at some point in years past, students misbehaved on a class trip and the board decided that future trips would be to DC.  Our classes motto was "Find a path or make one" and we decided early on in the year that we would make a path to a different destination for class trip.  We ended up going on a mission trip to Mexico City followed by a couple of days relaxing in Acapulco.  That was the first time in my life I tasted freshly picked, ripened-on-the-plant pineapple and other tropical fruits.  If you can't personally bring back fresh pineapple from Hawaii or Mexico for this cake, canned pineapple from the store will be just fine.

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x9 pan.
1 20oz can pineapple rings (reserve liquid)
1/4C unpacked brown sugar

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl:
1C sugar
1 1/2 C flour
1/2 t salt
1t baking soda

Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl:
1C pineapple juice (if less than 1C add water as needed)
1/3C oil
1T white vinegar

Directions
Arrange pineapple rings in the pan and sprinkle with 1/4C unpacked brown sugar.  Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix well.  Pour mixture over the pineapple rings.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  Remove from oven and flip over onto a plate (preferable square).  Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.