Peruvian Breakfast Tacos

Really, this is just breakfast burritos with Edam cheese, the only melting cheese here and it is wonderful cheese anyway, and cilantro, and aji, the Peruvian equivalent of jalapenos but even more flavorful and a lovely orange color even though they are called aji verde! Tomatoes, green onions and cilantro round it out! So yummy and such a pretty plate of condiments!

January's Tortilla Soup

This is probably my family's all-time favorite soup!

Bake in a 350 degree oven about 30 mins. or boil in 4 qts. water with salt, pepper, and 2 bay leaves, 4 chicken breasts or use about 2 cups cooked chicken, cool and dice or shred

3 - 4 quarts water
8-10 chicken bouillon cubes
4 cups carrots peeled and sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
10-12 stalks celery, cleaned, and sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
1 large or two medium onions, diced in large pieces
1 bunch cilantro, (leaves only is best) cleaned and chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 to 2 T. cumin (or more if you love it like I do)
salt, pepper, garlic salt to taste

While chicken cooks, in a large pot boil water and add bouillon cubes and carrots and cook 5-8 minutes then add celery and onions and cook for 15-20 minutes. Add seasonings and 1/2 the cilantro and cook for 5 minutes more. Check for flavor, add chicken, heat through and serve.

Garnish with any or all of the following:

cilantro
fried tortilla strips (or tortilla chips if you prefer)
grated cheese
diced tomatoes
diced avocado
sliced green onions
or your favorite salsa if you're in a hurry!

La Madeleine's Tomato Basil Soup

This was in the Fort-Worth Star Telegram several years ago. Yummy!

4 cups (8-10) tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped
OR 4 cups canned whole tomtoes, crushed (can't you use diced?)
4 cups tomato or V-8 juice OR part juice and part vegetable or chicken stock
12-14 washed fresh basil leaves
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 lb. butter (it says to use unsalted but you have salted butter so just add less salt to taste!)
salt to taste
1/4 t. cracked black pepper

Combine tomatoes, juice or juice/stock in saucepan. Simmer 20 minutes. In blender or food processor, puree mixture with basil leaves added in small batches. Return to saucepan. Over low heat, stir in cream and butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with basil leaves and serve with your favorite bread.

As is, 248 calories per cup--83% of calories are from fat! You could substitute 1/2 and 1/2 or even milk for the cream but it won't taste as rich!

Orange Cranberry Bread

Melissa gave me this recipe as a gift in about 3rd grade. It had a cover the shape of a loaf of bread and she had colored in cranberries all over it. It was so cute and the recipe so good! I love it toasted for breakfast!

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1 t. grated fresh orange peel
1 1/2 Craisins or 2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (very tart!)
3/4 cup orange juice

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut butter into mixture. Add remaining ingredients. Mix just until moist. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.
Great for gift giving at Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Aunt Marilyn's Popcorn

This is the greatest caramel popcorn ever! We love it as is or you can bake it to make it crunchy. You could add nuts or raisins or m & ms but we love it plain and eat it quickly!

Make 2-3 batches air popped or regular (not microwave) popcorn and pick out and discard the unpopped kernels as opposed to saving them and pouring the syrup over them. Put in a mixing bowl large enough to stir the popcorn with the syrup on it. Set aside and
make syrup:

1 cup sugar
1 cup light Karo
1/2 cup water

Boil in a large skillet or large heavy saucepan over high heat stirring often (that is so you watch it as it goes quickly when it starts to turn color and can scorch easily) until it begins to turn yellow. Turn off heat and add

1 cube butter (butter is the best)
1 t. baking soda
1t. salt

Remove from heat and stir carefully together to incorporate butter into syrup and pour over popcorn in bow. Stir to coat all the popcorn and pour out onto waxed paper sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and mold or spread out to cool. Or, put on sprayed jelly roll pans and bake in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Annette's Jello Popcorn Balls

1 - 6 oz. box Jello (not sugar-free) , any flavor
2 cups sugar
1 cup Karo
1 t. vanilla

Bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes. Pour over 2 batches popcorn free of old maids. Stir together and mold into balls or blobs and put on waxed paper sprayed with Pam. (Remove from waxed paper before eating.)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

All the grocery stores here in Provo (maybe all Utah) make these in their bakeries. They are good but these are even better!

1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. milk
1 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
Nuts (optional)

Dissolve baking soda in milk; set aside. In large bowl add pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg; stir. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda mixture. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Spoon in balls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 10-12 minutes or until done.

January's Enchiladas

1 doz. tortillas-corn or small flour tortillas
1 lb. hamburger, browned and drained
1/2 diced onion cooked with hamburger (optional)
2 cups Pace or other favorite salsa
1 cup (small can) tomato sauce
lots of grated cheese

In a small saucepan, stir and warm the salsa and tomato sauce.
The best way is to fry the tortillas in oil for a few seconds on each side, remove and dip in the salsa or spoon salsa on the tortilla on a plate and fill with 2 T. meat, lots of cheese, roll up and place seam-side down in a 9" x 13" pan spayed with Pam and the bottom covered with a thin layer of salsa mixture. When they are all in the pan, spoon the rest of the salsa over the tops (if not enough salsa, make some more it may really take 3 cups and a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce because I never only made 12 and never measured!). I like each enchilada covered in sauce and then sprinkle more cheese over the salsa. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted, about 15-20 minutes. Check them so they don't dry out, but if they do, spoon a little more warmed up salsa over the top. Leave out the meat and you have great cheese enchiladas. Serve with diced tomatoes and thin-sliced lettuce and diced avacados or guacamole and sour cream if you like.

Or, warm the tortillas in the oven and fill each one with the meat and cheese and so forth. It saves a few calories but they don't hold together as well. They still taste fine, though.