Lemon Chicken

Here's a nice chicken dish that's been a favorite of mine for about 25 years....some friends got me addicted about 25 years ago.


Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2-3 lbs chicken pieces (skinned)
1 x 20 oz. can tomato juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
2-3 onions, sliced
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
1 -2 tsp salt

Brown chicken if desired.

Combine all other ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and let simmer 10-15 minutes

Place chicken in large cassrole dish.
Pour sauce over chicken.
Bake uncovered for one hour.

This is great served with any type of rice.

Norma's Antpasto Salad

Courtesy of my Aunt Norma...boy, do those women from PEI know how to cook!

1 small cauliflower, trimmed into small florets
3 large carrots, thinly sliced diagonally
1 green pepper, diced
1 cup pitted black olives
2 1/2 cups rotini pasta

• In a large bowl, toss together cauliflower, carrots, green pepper and olives.
• Cook rotini according to directions, to "al dente" tenderness. Drain,rinse under cold water; drain again and shake dry.
• Add rotini to vegetables.

Marinade Dressing
3/4 cup vegetable oil + 1/4 cup water
3/4 cup cider vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp sugar
salt & pepper to taste

Mix oil, vinegar, garlic and sugar, adding salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

Pour all but 1/3 cup of the dressing over the vegetables and pasta, tossing to coat well.
Reserve the remaining dressing.
Cover salad and refrigerate overnight.
Just before serving, tast and adjust seasoning if desired.
Add reserved dressing if necessary.

Makes 8 to 10 servings. Keeps well in the fridge for several days.

This is another great dish if you're having a cold plate dinner, or to bring to a pot luck. Can you tell my family likes these kinds of recipes??

Killer Guacamole

I'm sure I never knew what an avacado was until I was about 25 years old...but I've never met one I didn't like!

2 ripe medium avacados
2 1/2 cups mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 tbsp lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced.
few drops hot sauce (optional)

Peel and remove large pit from avacados. Mash until smooth.
Combine with remaining ingredients.
You can serve immediately, but it tastes better after chilling for a couple of hours

Great with tortilla chips, pita chips, veggies, etc. Also tasts great on burgers or burritos.

Pineapple Surprises

Our Mom always made these at Christmas when we were kids...they kind of disappeared for many years, but we've started making them with a vengeance now that the grandkids know about them.

1 can of pineapple cubes
1 cup graham cracker crumbs

Drain the pineapple cubes well.
Pour the graham cracker crumbs into a wide shallow bowl.

In a second bowl, mix together:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups coconut around

Cover each pineapple cube with the butter mixture to form a ball, then roll the ball in graham cracker crumbs.

Chill in single layers for several hours. Will keep well in the fridge for about 1 week (like they're going to last that long.

These always impress the heck out of everybody, but they are so easy to make it's ridiculous. Great with a cup of tea.

Ham and Cheddar Muffins

I've had this recipe forever but only tried it recently. It turned out great.

Heat oven to 425 degrees

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup finely diced ham
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 tbsp finely chopped chives (optional)
1 egg
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk (or can substitute 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp vinegar)

Sift together dry ingredients. Stir in ham, cheese and chives.
In a separate bowl, combine egg, oil, and buttermilk.
Pour into dry ingredients and mix ntil just barely blended and still lumpy. Do not overmix.

Spray or grease muffin cups.

Spoon about 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup.
Bake at 425 degress for about 20 minutes.

Makes 1 dozen medium sized muffins.

These would be great with any kind of hearty soup -- or even on their own as a quick snack.

Mom's Meatballs With Spagetti

I have no idea where our Mom found this recipe, but it tastes wicked.

2 eggs, beaten
2 cans (6 oz. each) tomato paste
1 small onion, minced (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley (or 1 tbsp dried parsley)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp salt
1 lb. lean ground beef
3/4 cup solf bread crumbs
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups hot water
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp basil (or to taste)
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Combine eggs, 1 tbsp of the tomato paste, onion, cheese, parsley, garlic, 1 tsp salt, ground beef and crumbs in a large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly and form into meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter.
3. Brown meatballs in oil in skillet or dutch oven, draining off fat.*
4. Blend remaining tomato paste with hot water, sugar, basil, oregano, remaining salt and pepper in a separate bowl.
5. Pour over cooked meatballs. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes.
6. Uncover and simmer 10 minutes longer.

Serve over cooked spagetti or spagettini.

Garnish with parsley if desired.

* (alternatively, you can bake the meatballs in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes.)
My son begs for these on a regular basis.