During the course of a year we will cook a bone-in ham as a meal for a couple of the holidays. The bone is saved, with a generous amount of ham still attached, in the freezer for a month or two until I am ready to make a batch of ham and beans. Following is my recipe.

Ingredients:

Ham bone

Great Northern Beans (½ of a 16 ounce package, soaked in water overnight)

Small onion, diced

Two medium carrots, diced

Two stalks of celery, diced

Chicken broth, 24 ounces

Black pepper, white pepper and salt, to taste

Cayenne pepper, garlic, mustard powder, to taste

Add all ingredients to a slow cooker, add water until ingredients are covered and cook several hours until beans and carrots are done. Serve with warm, buttered cornbread.

A perfect winter meal. Serve with your favorite bread.

Ingredients:

Small onion, diced

Large carrot, sliced

One celery stalk, sliced

Two potatoes, cubed

½ stick of butter

Four cups of chicken broth

Four cups cubed ham

Two cups of milk

Two cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Dry ground mustard, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Worcestershire sauce, to taste

A couple shakes of Parmesan cheese

Four ounces of cream cheese

Add all except cream cheese into a slow cooker on high until veggies are tender. Add cream cheese ½ hour before serving. Don’t forget the bread.

This delicious recipe came to us from Shelly’s Aunt Shirley. We have made it both with and without the sauce, and have used brown gravy instead of the sauce in the recipe. A note on the recipe card says “Shirley divided in half – made plenty.”

Ingredients:

2 ½ lbs ground pork (Shirley used ground beef instead)

3 ½ lbs ground ham

1 cup bread crumbs

¼ cup dry milk

4 eggs

1 ¾ cups water

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients. Shape into balls and brown in 400 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes on a baking sheet. Transfer to a clean, greased 9 X 13 inch pan. Pour sauce over balls and bake at 325 for 30 minutes covered.

Sauce:

1 ¾ cup tomato juice

1/3 cup vinegar

1 ½ cup brown sugar

¾ tablespoon mustard

Mix all ingredients well.

This tasty meal only takes about half an hour to prepare.

Ingredients:

8 ounces cooked spaghetti

3 cups cooked chicken, cubed

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup milk

Parmesan cheese to taste

A pinch of black pepper and parsley

1 tablespoon of sour cream

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in saucepan and heat through. Serve with a favorite cooked vegetable.

This frugal recipe was torn out of a magazine years ago but there is no name to be found for me to give credit. Perfect for cooler weather, this simple dish can be put together and baked in less than an hour.

Ingredients:

1 package stuffing mix, already mixed according to package instructions

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 package mixed vegetables

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/3 cup sour cream or milk

Directions:

In 9 X 13 inch baking dish mix the vegetables, sour cream or milk and soup. Place the chicken on top then spread the stuffing over the chicken. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until chicken is done.

We started growing zucchini in our garden back when we lived in the city, and we thought it did pretty well. Once we moved to the country and tried it in the wonderful, rich black soil out here it was a whole other experience. The blossoms sprouted everywhere along the three and four foot long vines, giving us so many big zucchinis we gave away some, ate a lot, and froze the rest to be used in soup, stews and to make zucchini bread. Our favorite way to prepare fresh zucchini is to fry it in a cast iron pan on the stove top. Melt about half a stick of butter, cut the zucchini into half inch thick slices and fry them on low heat, flipping the slices once they are golden brown. We have used a wide variety of spices over the years on our fried zucchini but the mainstays have remained seasoned salt and garlic powder. Fried zucchini makes a delicious side for about any main meal or stands well on its own as a snack.

Baked chicken is one of the easiest and quickest meals to make. The coating is what gives the meal such a wide variety of flavors. We started with the standard flour, egg and salt and pepper combination. After awhile we began adding garlic and onion powder, then paprika. Then instead of flour we would use seasoned bread crumbs. For a period we would coat with a dressing, such as ranch or Italian, instead of egg, then add the flour or crumbs. Next we substituted crushed french fried onions instead of flour. We experimented with pre-mixed seasoned flour and my favorite is Kentucky Kernel. Lately we have been enjoying the chicken seasoning from Tastefully Simple. Our prep for any of the above is to dip the chicken into the beaten egg or dressing, then drop the pieces into a sack containing the dry coating and shake it well. We bake in a preheated oven on a sheet at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, then flip and continue for another 20 minutes. Serve with baked potatoes or rice and green beans or fried zucchini.

We don’t make this recipe often, which might be why it is so delicious when it does arrive on the weekly menu.

Ingredients:

Ground beef – 1 pound

Egg noodles – I package

Small onion – diced

Diced tomatoes – 1 can

Whole kernel corn – ½ can

Onion soup mix – 1 package

Garlic – to taste

Water – 1 cup

Your favorite shredded cheese – a handful (or two!)

Instructions:

Cook ground beef in large skillet or pan until done then drain. Add all other ingredients except cheese and simmer around 20 minutes or until noodles are done. Sprinkle with cheese, and let stand until it is melted.

This basic soup produces a delicious mixture of flavors when done, and smells pretty good, too. As usual, no measurements are given as I don’t use them myself. I put the piece of beef in a slow-cooker and build up the veggies around it until almost full, then add the liquids to completely cover it all. Season to taste.

Ingredients:

Beef

Vegetables (I usually use raw) such as potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. Sometimes I have added canned corn, green beans and peas. Use whatever sounds good.

Barley

Mushrooms

Garlic, oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, salt, black pepper, bay leaf

Beef broth

Tomato juice (sometimes I have used V-8)

Worcestershire sauce

Cook all in a slow-cooker on low for 6-8 hours or until done. Remove bay leaf before serving.

This soup is easy to put together and a warm choice for a winter meal.

Ingredients:

15 Bean Soup Mix

Cut up ham or kielbasa

One onion, diced

A few tomatoes, diced, or one can

A stalk or two of celery, diced

One bell pepper, diced

And a pinch to taste of the following: garlic, chili powder, rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, white and black pepper, cayenne pepper.

Put all but basil in a slow cooker for 3 to 4 hours on low or until beans are tender. Garnish with basil before serving.