Layer Dip

                                
1 Can Pinto Beans mashed                                  
1 Lb. Gr. Meat (beef, deer)                    
1 tsp. Cumin                                                                                
2 Tomatoes diced      
½ C Black Olives sliced                
1 Onion chopped
6 oz. Salsa
1 C Grated Cheddar
 ½ C Sour Cream                        
3 Tbsp. fresh Cilantro chopped

And Chips . . . Lots of them

Brown gr. meat with cumin. In 9” baking dish, spread beans, cover with meat, pour salsa and layer onions, tomatoes, and black olives. Sprinkle cheese and add sour cream to center and top. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

This is a pretty addition to any Mexican meal. Also makes a lovely appetizer or light meal all in itself.

Of course, it’s the absolute perfect snack!

Cucumber Salad

You can probably tell by now, what is ripe in the Land of Goshen, according to the recipes.  I had almost given up on cucumbers this year.   Oh, I had plenty of seeds and starts, but then a goat gained access, the next round just seemed withered, and finally one pathetic, spindly vine finally took off.  Now, I'm eating cucumbers at every meal, which is great.  Cucumbers are my summertime comfort food.

With tomatoes ripening late, I have a favorite cucumber dish that requires very little prep time.

2 cucumbers peeled and sliced
1 fresh tomato sectioned in thin wedges.  Section over the salad bowl to save the juice.
1 small onion or scallion sliced or wedged  (optional)
1 Tbs. fresh dill weed
Salt & Pepper

Combine in salad bowl and refrigerate about an hour before serving.  The fresh tomato makes a tangy "dressing" and of course dill and cucumbers are a complimentary pair any place.  

Apple Cake

A favorite through the Fall Festivals, because Festivals are about the only time I bake and apples are in season . . .

Apple Cake
It seems I only make this cake in the fall, although I’m sure it’s delicious year round. It’s our traditional dessert for Feast of Trumpets. I sometimes make it again through the week of Feast of Tabernacles.

1 ½ C Sugar                                                 1 tsp. Baking Soda
½ C Butter                                                   1 tsp. Cream of Tartar
2 Eggs                                                          Pinch of Salt
5-6 Apples, peeled and diced                      1 tsp. Gr. Allspice
1 ½ C Flour                                                 ½ tsp. Cinnamon
                                                                     1 C English Walnuts

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat. Mix in diced apples. Combine all dry ingredients and spices and sift into batter. Add nuts, mix well.

Bake in greased and floured 9” X 13” pan @ 350 for about an hour. Best when served warm.

Top this treat with cream cheese icing.

Quesadilla Casserole

Quesadillas are delicious, but they can only be prepared one at a time and sometimes that's just not practical.  This recipe is quick, easy, and done all at once.

Preheat oven to 350
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts baked and shredded
cumin to taste
1 Cup chicken broth
3-4 Jalapenos or chilis sliced
2 cups grated cheddar or colby jack
8 flour tortillas
1 pt. Salsa

Guacamole, sour cream, any toppers you like.

Pour 1/4 cup chicken broth in 9 X 13 baking dish.  Place 4 tortillas on the bottom.  Sprinkle half the chicken, cheese and jalapenos on tortillas.  Pour 1/4 cup chicken broth and lay two tortillas to cover chicken and cheese layer.  Add remaining chicken, peppers and 1/2 the cheese, cover with tortillas.  Pour remaining chicken broth over tortillas.  Sprinkle cheese and bake 15-20 minutes, until tortillas begin to turn golden.  Pour salsa over dish, bake 5 more minutes.  Top with toppings of your choice.

Grandma's Chili Sauce

This is a delightful sauce or relish. I never knew why my Grandma called it Chili Sauce, though, because it doesn’t taste like any chili I’ve ever eaten. This is a unique blend of flavors that I remember just loving. As a kid, I thought it was absolutely exquisite on corn bread, and I still do.

The summer I moved, the memory of Grandma’s chili sauce came to mind.  I stopped at a roadside stand and bought what I remembered to be the ingredients. I couldn’t wait! I had the spices and the sugar, and hopefully the right memory.   Through a summer of back and forth trips, I finally got settled and unpacked, I checked my recipe file and sure enough there was that recipe I had written at Grandma’s table, nearly 40 years ago.

As I’ve mentioned, Adeline always requests beans when she visits and with beans, there is corn bread, and corn bread never sets on our table without a newly opened pint jar of chili sauce. I asked the kiddos if they’d like to try this special treat on their corn bread. I proceeded to tell them about when I was little girl, how I just loved it when my Grandma Kennedy made it.

Hayden took a real liking to the chili sauce. He asked for more cornbread, but just a little bit. He just needed enough to hold the “Grandma Kennedy Sauce.” And so, of course, that has now become the official name for this piquant treat.

Grandma Kennedy Sauce

1 gal. fresh Tomatoes
1 Onion diced
1 Pepper chopped
1 ½ C Sugar
1 ½ C Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Cinnamon
Salt

Scald, peel, and cut tomatoes. Place all ingredients in steel kettle. Simmer 3 hours on medium heat. Pour hot into sterile jars and seal.

Makes about 6 pts.