Meatballs with Confetti Rice

Meatballs with Gravy:
n a large skillet, combine 1 cup Creamy Sauce mix and 2 cups cold water. stir in 1/4 cup of Ketchup, a teaspoon of dried minced Onion, and a teaspoon Worcestershire sauce.  Then add 4 ounces of shredded American cheese. Cook and Stir until thickened. Add a batch of freezer meatballs, or 24 1 inch meatballs of your own recipe. Heat through.

Add the meatballs to the center of the Confetti Rice ring. Pour some gravy over the platter and serve the rest  separately.

Confetti Rice:
Make about 2 and 1/2 cups of rice.  I'd start by bringing 2 and 1/2 cups of water to boiling.  Add a cup and a 1/4 rice to it. Once it comes back to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and cook until the water has been absorbed. Cook a bag of mixed veggies ( beans, carrots, peas or what have you) and when the rice is done, mix with the cooked veggies.  Make a ring of rice on a platter. This can be done with a ring shaped mold or large scoops (use a ice cream scoop) of the rice mixture laid out in a ring.

Makes 6 servings.

Byron's Venison Pot Roast

First season your meat with salt, pepper & thyme. Then sear meat on high heat on all sides.

Add 1 tsp chopped Garlic, 1 small diced onion, 2 small pieces of diced celery, 2 small diced carrots with 4 ounces of red wine, and 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce.  then add 2 cups of beef stock and 2 tablespoons tomato paste. Once thoroughly combined, pour over meat, making sure liquid covers 3/4 of  the venison roast.

Place in a 350 degree oven for about 2 and a half hours until fork tender.  Be sure to turn the meat at least three time while cooking.  Sauce can be thickened with cornstarch or a roux if wanted.

Aunt Jean's Cole Slaw Dressing

1 cup oil
1/2 cup vinegar
1 & 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 teaspoon celery seed
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
1 grated onion

mix really well in blender.

Pumpkin Patch Soup

A family thing...

3 cups butternut squash
2 cups milk, or 1/2 & 1/2 or 1 can evaporated milk.
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon or so of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves or allspice

Mix in pan and heat on stove or in the Crock Pot.

Honeymoon Shrimp & Broccoli

Dressing:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons white rum
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 chopped scallion
Fresh Ground pepper


Dish:
Boil 1 pound medium shelled shrimp for 5 minutes or until tender in 6 cups water, 1/2 cup 80 proof rum and 1 teaspoon salt. Drain shrimp. Bring a large pot of water to boil add 1 teaspoon of salt and 3 cups of broccoli florets.  Boil for 5 minutes and then drain and rinse broccoli. Dry broccoli and put it in a medium bowl. Add cooked shrimp. Pour dressing over shrimp and broccoli and refrigerate 2 hours or more stirring occasionally. Arrange on platter for serving and sprinkle with 1 cup blanched silvered almonds.

Susan's Highlander Stew

Ingredients
5 Ibs chuck roast cubed into ~1 inch pieces (lamb may substituted)
3 Ibs baby red potatoes cleaned and halved (regular red potatoes should be cleaned and quartered)
3 Ibs small/medium yellow onions quartered (or cut smaller depending on size of onions)
1 Ib baby carrots (halved or cut in thirds)
2 cans Guinness (Killians may be substituted)
1 box chicken stock
1+ cup flour
kosher salt
pepper
Italian seasoning
olive oil (vegetable oil may be substituted)

Instructions
Combine flour, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning in a container of choice. Dredge meat in flour mixture. In cooking vessel of choice, pour in olive oil to heat. When oil is hot add meat to brown. When meat is brown de-glaze kettle with gooiness, stirring and scraping. Add all of the other ingredients in kettle, allow to cook at a simmer for 1-2 hours (all ingredients should be covered with liquid so if needed add additional chicken stock or water). Season to taste. To thicken further closer to serving time you may add a slurry (mixture of flour and water) allowing cooking for several minutes to lose raw flour taste or a mix of corn starch or arrow root and broth to the stew bringing stew to a boil for a few minutes to thicken to desired consistency

Notes
Try to be consistent with the sizes of all items. The closer to each other in size they will be, the more evenly they will cook.