Can you share your most delicious recipes that your friends and family love?

My Mother In Law makes the best short ribs in the world. She takes a large pot, adds a jar of Prego Tomato Sauce, and adds extra chopped onion, diced peppers, and garlic. Place four or five pounds of short ribs and cook on low heat for about an hour or two.

This is served with Jewish potato pancakes, apple sauce, cooked green beans, mixed salad and rye bread.

The BEST Buttermilk Pound Cake, great for breakfast.
Preheat oven 325 degrees. Grease and flour 1 large bundt pan.
2 sticks butter (margarine works also)
3 cups sugar
3 cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt (I don’t add this, because I use salted margarine)
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour alternatively with buttermilk. Add baking soda and vanilla. Beat all together until well blended. (I use an electric hand mixer, although you can beat by hand, but my hand would hurt, it is a very heavy batter).
Bake about 1 to 1¼ hours. Let cool in pan 10 minutes.

Masala Fish
(serves 2–4)
The product of experimentation; not a bad outcome. Fast, simple, delicious.

Ingredients:
good olive oil (oil in which sundried tomatoes have been soaked is excellent)
600 grams thick fish fillets, cut in approx 1” pieces (choose a firm fish)
2 large red capsicums, chopped into pieces approx 1” square
2 large bunches spring onions, including all the green tops, cut in 1½” lengths
1–1½ rounded teaspoons freshly ground garam masala (see recipe)
very coarsely ground black peppercorns
salt

What to do:
Heat a generous measure of olive oil over med-low heat in a large cast-iron frypan. Add the vegetables and fry for approx 8–10 mins, stirring every so often, until very lightly cooked. Add the fish and stir gently. Cook approx 5 mins, stirring occasionally and then add generous measures of salt and pepper plus the garam masala. Continue cooking until the fish is just cooked through. Serve on rice.

I forgot to add the Garam Masala recipe:

Garam Masala
An electric coffee grinder is perfect for the task but you could try a mortar and pestle.

Finely grind together:

4 parts black peppercorns
4 parts coriander seed
1 ½ parts cumin seed
1 ½ parts fennel seed
1 part whole cloves
1 part cardamom pods
1 part cinnamon stick

I have two:

Green Rice with Sausage

3 c cooked rice
1 package Jimmy Dean Sausage, regular flavor
1 medium onion, chopped
Several mushrooms, chopped
1 bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed and chopped
2 eggs, beaten
½ c oil, scant
¼ tsp garlic salt
Salt and pepper to taste
1½ c milk
1 lb shredded cheese (I like sharp cheddar or something else with a strong taste), plus extra for topping

While cooking rice, brown sausage and onions with a little salt and pepper in a large, oven-safe dutch oven-type pan, adding mushrooms towards the end of the cooking time. When all is cooked, combine everything in the dutch oven, mixing well, and top with additional cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, until dish thickens and top is browned.

Barbagiuans / modified for laziness and yummyness

2 shallots, minced
a few green onions, minced
2 cloves garlic – one minced, one crushed
½ lb morel mushrooms (or other meaty ‘shrooms), finely chopped
½ c grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp butter
3 sprigs of thyme
1 c olive oil
1 cup butternut squash puree (found in the frozen vegetables section)
Pillsbury crescent rolls (several packages)
Salt and pepper to taste

Lightly saute the shallots, minced garlic and green onions. Add the mushrooms and let them wilt slightly. Remove from heat and allow it to cool down. Mix in the Parmesan and squash puree. Season with salt and pepper. Stuff crescent rolls with filling (I cut each dough triangle in half to make the finished product smaller). In a saute pan with high sides, heat the oil and add the thyme sprigs and the second clove of garlic. Making sure the oil doesn’t get too hot, place the barbagiuans into the pan and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, and serve.

I know this sounds weird, but trust me… these things are delicious!

Recently my wife and closest friend (who now that I think about it seems to be over for dinner with disturbing regularity) are enamored with poached mackerel and mustard butter emulsion.

mackerel (we usually do 3–4)
1 tsp salt (er on the full side)

Clean/gut the mackerel well but don’t fillet them. Boil a quart of water dissolve the salt then add the mackerel. Cover, return to a boil, remove from heat. Let stand until the flesh lifts easily from the bone, about 6 minutes or more depending on how big your fish are.

2 egg yolks
1 tsp creole mustard (or dijon if you prefer)
2 tsp white wine vinegar (or rice wine vinegar depending on your taste)
1–1.5 tb minced chives, tarragon, thyme (really, you can use whatever herbs you have fresh that you think will pair well, I’ve also used oregano, thai basil, fennel, dill, capers, garlic, others that I’m forgetting)
8 tb butter

In a warm bowl or gently heated double boiler whisk yolks, mustard, vinegar, and herbs together. Bring butter to a boil and whisk in to mixture slowly to emulsify.

Plate your fish, add a drizzling of sauce and enjoy. Had it with almond slivered green beans the other night, also goes well with a nice crisp salad, whole grain country bread, new potatoes, and/or fresh grilled corn.

Skinheads on a raft, consisting of one or two slices of bread (toasted) & a generous topping of beans (baked)

My adult grandsons introduced me to their favorite chicken recipe, per their mother on the cell phone. Put a package of good quality chicken thighs into a cooking bag with about two cups of Teriyaki sauce and ½ cup of white wine. Marinate overnight.

Use a non-stick roasting pan or spray with olive oil.
Place a thick bed of your choice of leeks, Chinese cabbage (bok choy) or green onions on the bottom of the pan and arrange the chicken on top. Pour the marinate sauce over the chicken

Cook in the oven about an hour at 350 degrees, or until a meat thermometer registers 165 internal temperature.

Prepare rice in a rice cooker according to the directions, mix in a full head of peeled garlic cloves as it cooks.

This goes very well with corn, green beans and carrots.

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

½ box of Barilla Penne Pasta (this is enough to fit into one of those round casserole dishes that are about 8 inches across and 5 inches deep).

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil and 1 Teaspoon (divided use)

1 Cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (anything from Trader Joe’s will work) or if you want a lower fat version, use half Sharp Cheddar Cheese and half low fat cheddar (Trader Joe’s has one that is 75% less fat)

1 Cup Whole Milk (or if you want a lower fat version, use 1% or even fat free milk)

¼ Cup All Purpose Flour

¼ Cup Butter (or Smart Balance Buttery Spread)

Panko Bread Crumbs

½ Cup chopped Onions

1 Cup chopped White Button Mushrooms

½ Teaspoon dried oregano

1 slice of crumbled cooked Bacon (or if you’re going for a vegetarian dish, use 1 slice of crumbled cooked Morningstar Farms Fake Bacon)

Preparation

Cook your pasta, until just al dente, drain but don’t rinse, then put the pasta back into the cooking pot and stir in 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, so the pasta won’t stick together. Set aside

While your pasta is cooking, sauté your chopped Onions in 1 Teaspoon of Olive oil until they become translucent, then add your chopped mushrooms and add the dried oregano and sauté until they just start to brown, then turn off the heat and set aside.

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees

Make your roux by heating up your milk in a microwave safe container (like a glass measuring cup) in the microwave until it is warm (you don’t want to start with cold milk). Melt your butter (or Smart Balance Margarine) into a large sauce pan, over low heat (make sure it doesn’t burn) then slowly add in your flour, while stirring constantly (over low heat) then start adding in your milk a little bit at a time, while stirring constantly. This mixture will start to thicken up. (Note: I usually heat up more milk than is necessary just in case I need to add a little bit more, if the paste is too thick. You will need to constantly stir this mixture over low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes. Just make sure that it doesn’t boil or burn. Then pour in your shredded cheese and mix thoroughly. Then add in your sautéed mushrooms and mix thoroughly. Mix in your Bacon or Fake Bacon. Take off the heat.

Next, pour your cheesy, mushroomy roux over your noodles (which are still in the other pot) mix thoroughly. Pour the whole shebang into your casserole dish, which has been sprayed with Pam.

Sprinkle Panko bread crumbs over the top of the macaroni, not too thick, just to give the whole surface a light coating.

Put your casserole into your 425 degree oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the Panko Bread Crumbs are golden brown, be careful not to burn.

The mushrooms, bacon and sharp cheddar cheese make this dish super cheesy and savory.