Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes, peeled (or not) and cut into fries 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.
(Note if you wash them - DRY THEM THOROUGHLY with paper towels)
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 450 F. On a baking sheet spread out the cut potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with oil olive, mix. Cover with enough oil for the sweet potatoes to be glossy but not dripping with oil. Space evenly on the baking sheet (if they are close together they will be soggy). Bake for ~ 15 minutes then flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes.

Glazed Carrots

There are three main rules when it comes to making good cooked carrots. In no particular order they are:
1) Do not overcook the carrots.
2) Do not overcook the carrots.
3) Do, not, overcook, the carrots! (Said in your best Captain Kirk imitation)

Glazed Carrots

Wash, cut carrots in your preferred style, place in water in a pot, bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer. In five minutes (or less if you've cut them very small), remove one and taste. Repeat every 2 minutes or so until desired taste and texture is obtained. It bares repeating, for best results - do not overcook the carrots (I'm sensing a trend here).  Drain.  Add equal amounts butter or margarine and brown sugar (about 2 tablespoons each for 3-4 cups of carrots). Stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve. And please try to remember, do not overcook the carrots.

Cranberry-Orange Pork Tenderloin

Cranberry-Orange Pork Tenderloin

2 (1 lb) pork tenderloins

1 teaspoon garlic salt

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

1/3 cup orange marmalade

4 teaspoons vinegar

1 large green onion – thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat Oven to 400 F

Roast

Sprinkle garlic and thyme over tenderloins, place in shallow pan and roast for 35 minutes to 1 hour (depending on size of tenderloin) until thermometer reads 160 F.  Brush on a small amount of the sauce 10 minutes before it is done. Wrap in aluminum foil and let stand for 5 minutes.

Sauce

In a saucepan sauté the green onions in a very small amount of olive oil or margarine for a minute or so. Add cranberry sauce, marmalade, salt, vinegar and orange peel, heat until warm. Serve with the roast.

BBQ Roasted Mushrooms

Had these on a recent fishing trip - fantastic.  This is the general recipe, about 1 medium sized onion to 16 oz of mushrooms works well - scale as needed.

Mushrooms (cut in large chucks) (Crimini are quite good, white mushrooms will also work nicely)
Onion (chopped to bite size portions)
Montreal Steak Spice (a fairly liberal covering)
Pepper (a few shakes)
Butter or Margarine (1 heaping tablespoon)

Mix ingredients and place in an aluminum tray, cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast over medium heat on the BBQ for about 45 minutes.

Roasted mushrooms etc.

Pork Roast with Tangy Sauce

Roast Pork with Tangy Sauce

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 boneless pork loin roast
1 cup apple jelly (or you can also use apple butter)
1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp vinegar

Combine salt, garlic salt and 1/2 tsp chilli powder and rub onto pork roast
Roast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan at 325 F for approximately 2 hours (when done meat thermometer should read 170F - time will vary with roast size)
In a saucepan add jelly, ketchup, vinegar and 2 tsp chilli powder. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 2 minutes.
About 15 minutes before the roast is done brush the roast with the jelly sauce mixture. When roast is finished, remove from oven and let roast stand for about 10 minutes.  Mix 1/2 cup of the pan drippings with the jelly mixture sauce and serve with the roast.

Beef Stew

If you need something to stick to your ribs (although do any of us really need that), stew is a good choice. Amounts of each ingredient are really up to you. Start with some stewing beef cut into cubes. Shake beef in a bag with some flour.  Brown the beef in a frying pan and add it to a large pot. Add a tin of canned tomatoes and/or beef broth (I prefer beef broth to tomatoes). Add chopped celery, carrots, onion, mushrooms (other veggies can go in as you like, hold off on the potatoes till later). Simmer on stove for at least 4 hours, more time is better.  Add potatoes (cubed) 1 hour before serving. Salt and pepper to taste. Thicken with a small amount of flour.

Beef Stew

Hesson Gardan Party Potato Salad

I grew up near a small village called Hesson, Ontario.  One of the highlights of the year was the annual St. Mary's Parish Garden Party.  On the menu was a potato salad that always got rave reviews.  This recipe from my Great-Grandmother is close to what was found at that annual event.
Cook potatos and allow to cool (do not overcook them, you don't want them to be mushy).
Dice or grate potatoes, add a chopped green onion and some chopped celery.  Can also add 2-3 chopped hard boiled eggs.

Salad Dressing
1 cup white sugar
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
Mix together in a saucepan and then add:
1 tbsp butter
1 cup white vinegar
2 eggs (beaten)
Cook until thick on medium heat.

Add about 1/4 cup of the salad dressing with half & half cream.  Add to potatoes to make creamy.

Roast Beef

Roast beef with mushrooms, gravy and a side of potatoes.

Here is one case where I prefer something different from what I got in my childhood. Bone dry roast beef just doesn't work for me. With this method even cheaper cuts of beef can turn out great. The secret is the cup of beef stock in the bottom of the roasting pan.  There seems to always be juice left for over for gravy and the meat stays moist (well, unless you cook it well past "well done").

Preheat oven to 450 F.
In a roasting pan:
beef roast - thawed
one onion, cut into chunks
one cup of beef stock (an OXO packet/cube in a cup of warm water)

A couple of different seasoning methods for the meat work here, here are two:
1) season liberally with "Montreal Steak Spice" (a great all-in-one seasoning)
or
2) garlic powder (or fresh garlic/minced) and salt and pepper

If you'd like an all-in-one meal you can add potatoes (peeled and cut in half), large chunks of carrots and/or celery. I like the potatoes this way, the carrots less so.  Fresh mushrooms also turn out particularly well when done with the roast.

Cover the roasting pan and bake at 450 F for 15 minutes, then lower to 350 F.  A meat thermometer is really the only proper way to get the meat cooked to a desired doneness (if you don't have one, go get one - now, before you ruin another piece of meat!).  Monitor temperature, 170 F - well done, 160 F - medium, 145 F - medium rare, 140 F - rare.

Remove the roast from the pan, put it on a platter and cover with aluminum foil, let it sit 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the potatoes and carrots to a bowl (if you had added them). Remove the onion and discard. Put the roasting pan on a burner on high.  Add a cup or two of water if not much juice is remaining and bring to a boil.  Scrape the pan to remove some of dried juices and stir frequently.  Mix a heaping tablespoon of cornstarch into a small amount of water (just enough to get it dissolved) and slowly stir in small amounts of this into the gravy juices. When the gravy is of a desired consistancy, remove from heat. Serve.

Chicken Stir Fry

Ok, not exactly a family farm staple... but it certainly came in handy during my university years. Plus it's quick and easy to make.

Chicken Stir Fry

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup brocolli
1/2 cup celery
1/2 cup green, yellow, orange or red peppers
1 onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock (or OXO cube in water)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt and pepper

Cut up chicken into cubes or strips.
Fry in oil 3-5 minutes (until cooked through), transfer to bowl.
Add oil to pan and stir fry onions and garlic for a few minutes, then add remaining vegatables and stir fry for 1 minute.
Add chicken stock, cover and steam for 2 minutes or until vegatables are tender crisp.
Return chicken to pan.
Whisk soy sauce with constarch and stir into pan.
Cook stirring for 1 minute or until sauce thickens.  Add salt and pepper.  Serve hot over rice or noodles.

Meatloaf

Cheap, easy and great for lunch the next day. A favourite of mine and my kids.

Meat Loaf (note the gap on the right side to catch oil and
grease from the meat - drain before serving)

1 can tomato or golden mushshoom soup or a cup to a cup and a half of ketchup
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs or crushed soda crackers
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 egg slightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water

Mix 1/2 of the soup (or ketchup), beef, beef, crumbs, onions, egg and salt.  Shape into loaf pan.  Leave a gap of about an inch at the end of the loaf pan. While the loaf cooks a lot of the grease and fat from the ground beef will pool here and can be drained off after cooking. Pour the remaining soup (or ketchup) over the top of the loaf and then bake at 375 F for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

It there anything more comforting than "Mac n' Cheese".  This was my favorite dish as a kid.

Marcaroni, boil about 8 minutes
Put a tablespoon or two of margarine or butter into a baking bowl, add macaroni
Salt and pepper
A pinch of dry mustard
Mix in a cup or two of shredded cheese (cheddar is always good but I've been using Swiss Grubec lately), spinkle a layer of cheese on top
Pour in 1 to 1 1/2 cup of milk

Bake at 350 F for 40 to 45 minutes.