The Cookbook

Library Lady's Chicken with Onions & Rice Chicken breasts 2-3 T melted butter 2 cups sliced onions 1 1/2 C cooked rice* Lightly brown chicken breasts. Put onions in a casserole dish and pour butter over all. Stir with fork until onions are well coated. Add rice and stir well. Place chicken on top. Cover and bake at 350* for 45 minutes. *Adjust the rice depending on servings desired. Library Lady

Library Lady's Husband's Brisket

Here is how my husband does it, with a regular charcoal grill, not a smoker. He creates a smoker. Here is how:

Rub brisket down with Adams brisket rub, salt and pepper.

Create a pan using heavy aluminum foil - to match your size meat. On the grill make a small mound of coals, about 15 or so. Light the coals. When the coals are white and smoking, put meat on. Arrange air vents so that the smoke is drawn over the meat. As the meat smokes, you will need to add 2-3 coals (charcoal briquets) from time to time. Smoke it for about 6-8 hours....(Time consuming, but the taste is worth it.) After this, wrap meat in foil and put in oven for at 250 for 2 hours. Remove from oven. Let cool then slice. Be sure and slice against the grain so the meat won't be stringy.

This is time consuming, but worth it!

librarylady

Seven Can Soup

In a large pot:
Brown 1 lb hamburger meat with 1 chopped oinion. Drain any fat.

Add:
2 cans ranch style beans
2 cans tomatoes (use Rotel if you want it hot)
3 cans minestrone soup
Pinch of basil
If you wish, add ½ cup of wine

Heat and serve with corn bread.

librarylady

I45 Cream Cheese Cake

1 stick butter/margarine –melted
1 box yellow cake mix
2 eggs beaten

Combine melted margarine, eggs and cake mix. Spread in a buttered 9 x 13 pan.

Combine:

8 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs –beaten
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch salt

Beat until smooth. Pour over the cake batter mixture. If desired, sprinkle with nuts before baking.

Bake at 325 for 45 minutes or until cake is golden brown on top.

Cut into squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Variation: add crushed pineapple to cake batter. OR add coconut to cake batter.

(Name of cake: It is named I45 cake, ‘cause you can drive up and down I45 and not find a better cake!)

librarylady

Mexican Dump Tacos

Meat:
2.5 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. dried whole oregano
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. salt
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp. garlic powder
2 cans tomato sauce (8 oz.)
3 cans tomato paste (6 oz. size)
4 Cups water

Brown the beef with the onion. Drain any fat. Add all other ingredients and simmer for at least one hour.

About 2 cups each of the following ingredients (keep in separate bowls):
Chopped green onions
Chopped green peppers
Diced avocado
Shredded lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Sliced black olives
Grated cheddar cheese
Picante sauce
Almonds
Coconut
Large bag regular sized Fritos


Directions:
Put a bed of fritos on the plate. Spoon meat over the fritos. Then spoon some of all the other ingredients over the meat. ….(Yes, coconut! It will enhance the flavor.) (serves about 12 people)

librarylady

Haroset with Dates and Honey

Prep time: 15 minutes, yield: 2 cups

2 apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/2 cup dates, pitted and finely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
4 Tbsp sweet Kosher for Passover red wine

Mix apples, dates, nuts, honey, cinnamon and ginger in a bowl. Add wine. Mix well. Chill until needed.

*Note: It is important to finely chop the apples, nuts and dates so they can be easily spread onto the matzo.

librarylady

Dressing (cornbread and rice)

Here is our family dressing recipe. (My father was a rice farmer at one time.) We make traditional southern cornbread dressing, but add about 1/3 cooked rice to the CB mixture. (I am not putting exact amouts, 'cause it depends upon the quantity you are making.) Final result is 2/3 cornbread and 1/3 rice. ...plus all the other seasonings, celery, onion etc. The dressing is not as heavy as a standard cornbread dressing. We love it.

librarylady