Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes

                                                                                                     




2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 T olive oil
1/4 t garlic salt
coarse salt
white or black pepper to taste

Toss sweet potatoes in oil. Season with garlic salt, salt and pepper.
Bake for 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
To change the taste, you can be creative and add different types of spices, Cajun would be yummy!
You can make these sweet by adding brown sugar, cinnamon and a little maple syrup, just don't use the garlic, salt and the pepper. Enjoy!

Fried Ravioli

                                                                                                                    

Thanks Sue!

Dozen beef ravioli or 2 dozen cheese ravioli or 2 dozen other filled ravioli, thawed if frozen

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Parmesan cheese

Vegetable oil (for frying)

Marinara sauce (for dipping)

Directions:

 Cook ravioli in boiling salted water until they float to the top; remove from water and drain.

 Set aside to cool.

 Heat vegetable oil in fryer at least 2" deep to a temperature of 375 degrees.

 Dip ravioli in beaten egg, and then cover in breadcrumbs.

 Fry in batches in hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes; drain.

 Sprinkle hot ravioli with parmesan cheese.

 Heat marinara sauce and set aside in serving bowl.

 Serve ravioli with dipping sauce.

Washington Apple Cake

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

          

3 eggs

2 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped walnuts

4 cups thinly sliced apples  


Frosting

2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

1.                      Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 inch pan. Spread apples evenly over the bottom of the pan.

2.                      Beat eggs with mixer until thick and light. Combine sugar and oil and add to eggs.

3.                      Stir together flour, cinnamon, soda and salt. Add to egg mixture and beat in. stir in nuts and vanilla. Batter will be very thick.

4.                      Spread batter over apples in the pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool. Spread with Cream Cheese Icing.

5.                      To make Cream Cheese Icing: Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in 1/4 cup melted butter; beat in confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice. Spread over cooled cake. Refrigerate.

Mertie's Beef Stew

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                 

Mertie was my grandmother. She taught me to cook! I miss her so much and I can still taste her beef stew!

          

           2 -3 lbs stew meat, cut into big bite size pieces

           (My grandmother used beef stew with bones) 

           3 -4 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into big bite size pieces

           1 bag carrot, peeled and cut into big bite size pieces

           1 bunch celery, cut into big bite size pieces(optional)

           1 clove garlic, chopped fine(optional)

           1 large onion

           ½ small bottle ketchup (1-1 1/2 c)

           salt and pepper

      Directions:

If it is cool or cold weather, it is best to put this in the oven (or a crock pot) and let cook for a while. Take a large pot (I use a Dutch oven) on med high heat and add 1/2 bottle of ketchup. Fill empty bottle with water and rinse out bottle with it, Pour this water in pot with ketchup. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, garlic and onion. When all of this has been cooking for a 1/2 hour or so, coat meat with flour and brown in large pan with a little oil. Cover with a lid and let this simmer for a few minutes. Meat will be soooooo tender. Add meat mixture (oil, drippings and all) to the veggies. Mix well. Add the salt and pepper. Let this cook until it is thick and the veggies are tender. The “secret" is the ketchup. The stew doesn't taste a thing like ketchup though.





Sonoma Chicken Salad

                                                                                                         



This is Whole Foods Recipe! Thanks!

Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
5 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted
2 cups red seedless grapes
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

Method

In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to dress the salad. This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the chicken breasts in one layer in a baking dish with 1/2 cup water. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes until completely cooked through. Remove cooked chicken breasts from pan, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.

When the chicken is cold, dice into bite-size chunks and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in pecans, grapes, celery and dressing.