Ground Beef Curry

• 1 lb ground beef
• 4 T oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 1 stick cinnamon or 1/4 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t cloves
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1/4 t ginger
• 1 t curry powder
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 1-3/4 c water
• 1/2 c frozen peas

Cook beef in large skillet until no pink remains. Add onion, saute until brown. Add spices, garlic, and salt; cook 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, water, and peas. Stir to mix. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with rice. Serves 4.

************

This is one of our family favorites and definitely my favorite curry recipe. When I was little, I always asked for the cinnamon stick and would chew on it. Yum!

Baked Apple French Toast

Makes 12 servings

• 1 large loaf French bread
• 8 eggs
• 3 c milk
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1 T vanilla
• 4 Granny Smith apples
• 1/2 c sugar
• 2 t ground cinnamon
• 2 T butter

1. Spray a large baking dish (9”x13”) or pan with cooking spray.
2. Cut French bread in 1-1/2 inch slices and arrange in pan in single layer.
3. In batter bowl, beat lightly the eggs, milk, 1/4 c sugar, and vanilla.
4. Pour half of egg mixture over bread.
5. Peel, core, and slice apples and arrange over bread.
6. Pour remaining mixture over apples.
7. Mix 1/2 c sugar and ground cinnamon and sprinkle over top, then dot with butter.
8. If making the same day, cook for 35 to 40 minutes at 350F. If making the night before and refrigerating overnight, cook 45 to 50 minutes. Cool 5 to 10 minutes.
9. Serve with maple syrup.

********************

Saralynn: This is a recipe from a book my dad’s cousin gave me from their parish, submitted by a Mary Hansen. Mom and I both tweak it a bit, but it always tastes yummy! We’ve only ever used white bread, not French, which takes about two slices to make 1-1/2 inches of bread on the bottom. This time I used Cameo apples, and it turned out fine. It took three large instead of four apples. I also had to cook it for longer than given, at least an hour. We don’t serve it with maple syrup, since it is pretty sweet on its own. But it is definitely delish!

Indonesian Chicken Kebabs

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 1 T oil
• 1 t packed brown sugar
• 1/4 t ground ginger
• 1 clove garlic, crushed

Peanut Sauce

• 1 small onion - finely chopped
• 1 T oil
• 1/3 c peanut butter
• 1/3 c water
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/4 t coriander
• 2-3 drops red pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco)

1. Cut chicken into 3/4-inch pieces. Mix with soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic in glass bowl. Cover; refrigerate, stirring occasionally, at least 2 hours.
2. Prepare peanut sauce. Cook onion in oil until tender. Remove from heat; add remaining ingredients. Heat just until blended.
3. Remove chicken from marinade; reserve marinade.
4. Thread 4 or 5 chicken pieces on each of 14 to 16 skewers. Brush with marinade.
5. Broil at 550 F 4 inches from heat for 4 to 5 minutes.
6. Turn. Brush with marinade. Broil until done, 4-5 minutes. Serve with peanut sauce over cooked rice.

*********

This is definitely a family favorite! Mom usually makes two skewers per person and puts more chicken pieces on each skewer instead of making so many (as more of an appetizer). She also does not brush with marinade halfway through cooking, since the marinade was sitting with raw chicken in the fridge.

Pilaf Bengal

• 1 Rice-a-roni (pilaf) mix, 7.25oz
• 1 c chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 T margarine or butter
• 1/2 c apples - chopped
• 1/2 c apricot preserves
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1 t all-purpose flour
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1-1/2 t lemon juice
• 1-3/4 curry powder
• 1-1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken - cubed
• raisins, peanuts, coconut, chutney

1. Prepare Rice-a-roni mix as package directs.
2. Meanwhile, sauté onion and garlic in margarine.
3. Add next seven ingredients.
4. Transfer mixture to bender or food processor; purée.
5. Return mixture to skillet; add chicken.
6. Simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Serve over prepared Rice-a-roni pilaf.
7. Garnish with raisins, peanuts, coconut, and chutney if desired.

*******************

I had to improvise a little with this recipe since I don't have a food processor. I made sure the onion was well chopped, and I used refrigerated minced garlic instead of fresh. I also used applesauce instead of chopped apple. Mom usually makes this with regular white rice instead of Rice-a-roni, which is not available in Nigeria. I recommend it that way, too. I made the Rice-a-roni mix with this the other night, and it was just enough for my small family of three, but we had leftover chicken and sauce. So in order to feed six, which is what it advertises, I would make white rice to go with it. Use whatever you want as garnish, or whatever you have. We used coconut, peanuts, raisins, chopped apples, and chopped green peppers.

Sesame Corn

(Saralynn: Let me preface this by saying that I don't have the recipe on hand for this dish. My mom makes it often, but she is away from her recipe box for a few months, so we tried to figure out a non-exact version for me to make at Thanksgiving. I didn't measure anything, either, but hopefully this is sort of close to what I did!)

• 3 T butter
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 to 4 T sesame seeds
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped**
• 1-1/2 lbs frozen corn
• salt to taste
• 1/2 t dried basil
  

1. In a medium-sized cooking pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
2. Add the garlic and sesame seeds, and sauté one or two minutes.
3. Stir in the dried basil, green pepper and frozen corn. Sauté for about five minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt as needed.
   
4. Turn the heat down and let cook for another five minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the corn is hot through and fully cooked. Serve hot.

**You can use pimiento or green chili instead of green pepper for added flavor.

Chicken Tabouleh Salad

• 1 c cooked bulgar wheat
• 1 c chopped, cooked chicken
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/4 c snipped parsley
• 1/4 c chopped cucumber
• 2 T chopped green onions
• 1/4 c oil
• 1/4 c lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper

**********************

I don't have bulgar, so I used 1 c couscous instead and doubled the recipe. If you want to use couscous with a single recipe, use 1/2 c couscous and mix with 3/4 c boiling water to cook. Then add everything else. I just discovered this recipe, and my family loves it, even my one-year-old grandson. A nice light main dish salad for a hot day!

Tanzanian Meat-Banana Stew

Saute until golden:

• 2 chopped onions
• 2 T oil

Brown well:

• 12 oz beef, in 1" cubes

Add:

• 1 c fresh-grated coconut
• 1-1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 1 t curry powder
• 1 t grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 t powdered)

Cook 1 minute. Add:

• 2 c fresh shopped tomatoes
• 1/4 c water
• 1 lg ripe plantain or 2 greenish bananas, cut.

Cook till meat is tender. Serve with chutney over rice.

***********************************
This recipe, requested by Lauren, is from the book commonly known as The Crocodile Cookbook, published here in Nigeria by expatriate women. Its full name is From the Crocodiles: Recipes from the International Women's Club, Kaduna, Nigeria. It's out of print, and my copy is falling apart. Sadly, it's old enough that it was never input onto a computer before it was published and thus would have to be reconstructed by either entering all the recipes afresh onto a computer file or scanning the existing pages. Neither option is appealing!

(10) Blushing Apple Crescents

2 20-oz cans apple slices
¾ c sugar
½ c red hots (cinnamon candies)
1 t whole allspice
½ c white vinegar

Drain liquid from apples into saucepan; stir in sugar, candies, allspice, and vinegar. Heat to boiling and simmer 5 minutes. Add apples; heat to boiling again. Pour into bowl, cool, and refrigerate 24 hours. Makes 4 cups.

********************
Mom got this recipe from her friend Wanda Farrell back in 1980, before I was even born! We adore it. It's a perfect blend of sweet and sour--with vinegar--and makes a beautiful and tasty side dish to the main meal. You can use fresh apples if you'd prefer; Mom usually does, I think. We can't get red hots here, though, so this is a special treat for us!

(9) Spritz

1 c butter, softened
½ c sugar
2¼ c flour
¼ t salt
1 egg
1 t almond or vanilla extract

Heat oven to 400°F. Cream butter and sugar. Blend in remaining ingredients. Fill cookie press with ¼ of dough at a time. Form desired shapes on ungreased baking sheets. Baket 6 to 9 minutes or until set but not brown. Makes about 5 dozen.

***********************
If you know anything about Spritz, you know it's a dough that works with a cookie press. I'm sure there are all sorts of shapes and flavours you could make, but my mom always made green Christmas wreaths and put red hots on for bolly berries. Very festive! I haven't made these as an adult, not having a press, but they're lots of fun! And yummy, too. :)

(8) Christmas Meringue Cookies

Dough:
Blend well:

• 2 egg yolks
• 2-1/2 c flour
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 3/4 c sugar
• 2/3 c shortening
• 1/4 c milk
• 1 t vanilla
  

Chill dough while making meringue.

Meringue:

• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 1/2 t vinegar
• 6 oz chocolate chips
• 1 c crushed candy canes
  

Beat egg whites and salt until soft mounds form. Gradually add sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in other ingredients.

Shape dough in balls on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten balls with glass dipped in sugar. Top with meringue. Bake at 325F for 20 to 25 minutes.

***************************
My mom got this recipe from our friend Sheri Edwards in Christmas 1993. That was the Christmas Mom and Dad returned to the States (from Nigeria) quite suddenly because Dad was diagnosed with cancer. They left us kids with missionary friends here and stayed in Los Angeles for a month with Sheri's mom and dad, good friends of ours from church. Mom made these cookies the next year, when we were all together in Los Angeles, and we fell in love with them, too!