CALABACITAS

A quick introduction from my mother-in-law, Pam. (This is her recipe.*)

"When the roadside food stands start selling corn...Neil's first comment is always..."Yeah, Calabacita time." Here is the world famous recipe. The story behind Calabacitas is really a Mari story. While I was pregnant with Mari, living in Minnesota, we had friends from Mexico named Marisela and Rauel Stahl. Marisela was the daughter of the Mayor of Mexico who was seeking a safe spot for his daughter to live due to political unrest in Mexico. They moved to Minneapolis and we became friends. Marisela's maid/cook taught me how to make calabicitas and it has become a family fave. We named our Mari after her. "

CALABACITAS
6 ears of corn (cut kernels off cob)
1 med. onion (chopped)
3 zucchini (chopped)
2 med. tomatoes (chopped)
Sour Cream
Mozzarella cheese
Fry onion until light in small amount of oil. Add chopped tomatoes, about 1/2 t. of garlic salt, 1/2 t. of pepper and 1/2 t. of salt. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat. Then add chopped zucchini and fresh corn. Add more seasonings to taste and simmer until tender for about 15/20 minutes. Put sour cream over top and add shredded mozzarella cheese. Put in oven long enough to melt cheese.

*Or rather, this is the recipe of the "'Mayor of Mexico's' defected daughter's Minneapolis maid."

PERFECT MAKE-AHEAD MASHED POTATOES

You can make these potatoes two days ahead of time and just pop them into a hot oven close to serving time.

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
9 to 10 large russet potatoes, cut in 1 -inch chunks
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon butter
1 envelope Knorr Leek Soup Mix - (Albertson's carries the Leek soup -
Wal-Mart doesn't)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly grease a 13X9 inch baking
dish with butter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese over the butter and tilt the pan
so that the cheese adheres to the bottom and sides of the pan. Set the pan
aside.

2. Place the potatoes in a quart saucepan with water to cover. Bring the
water to a boil, and let it continue to boil until the potatoes are tender when
pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes.

3. Place the cream cheese, sour cream, 1/2 cup of the butter, and the soup
mix in a medium mixing bowl.

4. Drain the potatoes in a colander and place them n the mixing bowl with
the soup.

5. Mash the potatoes until they are smooth. Mix in the pepper and transfer
the mixture to the prepared baking dish.

6. Dot the top of the potatoes with the remaining tablespoon butter, cut
into bits, and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheese on top. (At this point,
the potatoes can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Remove the potatoes from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.)

7. Bake the potatoes until they are golden, 35 to 45 minutes.

BEAN HOT DISH

1 lb. hamburger, cooked
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 can pork and beans or baked beans
1 can butter beans.
1 can lima beans
1 can kidney beans, rinsed

(Drain all beans)

2 T. vinegar
1/2 t. garlic
1/2 t. dry mustard
1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar

Cook on low in crock-pot for at least 24 hours.

ROAST POTATOES

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. melted butter
freshly ground pepper
salt
1 ½ lbs. small new red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1 Tbs. fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425. Mix first four ingredients in small bowl. Place potatoes in baking dish. Drizzle with oil mixture and turn potatoes to coat. Bake until tender and browned 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

INSTANT WHIPPED CHEESE POTATOES

1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 can chicken broth
1 soup can milk
1 soup can water
4 T. butter or margarine
1/4 c. parmesan cheese, grated
4 c. mashed potato flakes

In a large saucepan, add broth to cheese soup. Stir in remaining ingredients, except potatoes. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in potatoes and whip with fork until light and fluffy. Serve immediately!!

SOURDOUGH AND WILD RICE STUFFING (SLOW COOKER)

I like to make this on Thanksgiving, since it cooks in a slow cooker and I only have one oven. I usually cook the wild rice and the mushrooms the day before, keeping it the refrigerator until I'm ready so that I can time it to be done at the same time as the rest of the dinner.

8 cups cubed sourdough bread

2 T. olive oil

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice

1/3 cup dried porcini mushroom pieces (or dried shitake)

3 medium stalks celery, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 t. dried basil

1 t. dried thyme

1/2 t. ground sage

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Spread bread cubes in single layer in large roasting pan or baking pan. Brush with olive oil. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly toasted. Set aside

2. Place 3 cups broth, the wild rice and mushrooms in a crock-pot. Cover and cook on high heat setting for 3 hours.

3. Add remaining ingredients to wild rice mixture. Add bread cubes; toss gently. Cover and cook on high heat setting 3 hours.

MAKE AHEAD MASHED POTATOES

Save yourself some stress this Thanksgiving.

2 ½ lb. bag of frozen mashed potatoes

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

2 tsp. garlic salt

2 T. butter

Warm potatoes until able to mash. Mix in remaining ingredients. Spoon into a lightly sprayed casserole dish. Cover and refrigerate until ready. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

TAFFY APPLE SALAD

1 can pineapple chunks, drained and juice saved
2 cups mini marshmallows
½ cup sugar
2 T. flour
1 egg
1 ½ T. vinegar
2 red apples, unpeeled, cut in small pieces
2 green apples, unpeeled, cut in small pieces
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 ½ cups cocktail peanuts

Mix pineapple and marshmallows. Refrigerate. In saucepan, mix sugar, flour, egg, vinegar, and juice from pineapple. Cook until thick. Refrigerate also. Combine apples, Cool Whip, peanuts, sauce, and pineapple mixture. Refrigerate overnight.

BEST-EVER BAKED ASPARAGUS

Simple and yet perfect.

1 pound fresh asparagus
2 T. butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450°. Rinse and drain the asparagus, then snap off the tough ends where they break naturally. Arrange the spears in a 9x13 inch baking dish in one or two layers. Place the butter in a 1-cup glass measure and microwave, uncovered on high, until melted, about 30 seconds. Drizzle over the asparagus and season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cover the dish snugly with aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes until crisp-tender, or longer to desired doneness. Serve at once.

YUMMY POTATOES

Really, these are Funeral Potatoes. But, better. So, skip funeral hopping tonight, and just make a pan of these instead.

32 oz. shredded frozen hash browns
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
1 can cream of chicken
12 oz. grated cheese
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1 t. salt
2 cups crushed cornflakes
2 T. melted butter

Thaw potatoes. Melt 1/2 cup butter in 9x13" pan. Layer 1/2 of the potatoes in the pan. Mix next 5 ingredients. Pour 1/2 of it over the potatoes. Layer remainder of the potatoes and cheese mixture. Top with cornflakes and 2 T. melted butter. Bake 45 minutes @ 350 degrees uncovered.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

This is must for Thanksgiving. Even if you swear that you hate sweet potatoes, you will love this casserole. Of course, anything would taste good with this much sugar and butter, even your socks.*

3 cups heaping, mashed sweet potatoes, boiled or baked
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 t. vanilla
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 eggs

Topping:

1/3 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/3 cup butter

Mix well with mixer and pour into a greased casserole dish. Mix topping in bowl. Crumble on top. Bake @ 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

*Cooking your socks is not recommended.