What’s Cooking Suzanne?

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day.  If your Mother is still around we hope you will remember her this year with a phone call, a meal our flowers, a card or a special note written by you, or just hang out with her on Mother’s Day.  You may have some special ideas of your own of things to do for Mother.
My Mother is in a beautiful place but memories of her still remain.  This week we are sending some recipes that might help you prepare a meal for your Mom.  If you are a Mom, may your day be filled with time with your child or children and may you realize how important you are to your family. This is your day Mother’s.  Enjoy!

Chicken Garden Saute
4 half boneless chicken breasts, skinned
1 t. olive oil
1/2 t. rosemary, crushed
1 can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion
12 small black ripe pitted olives
1 green pepper cut in thin strips
1 lg. carrot cut in 3 inch strips
1 medium zucchini cut into 3 inch strips
Salt
Pepper
In a skillet brown chicken in oil.  Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper to taste.  Add remaining ingredients, bring to boil.  Cover and cook 3 minutes over medium heat.  Uncover and cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until thickened.

Meat Loaf
1 1/2 lbs. ground sirloin
1 egg
1 small onion chopped
1 t. salt
1 c. milk
1 hot dog or hamburger bun
5 T. ketchup
3 T. mustard
4 T. brown sugar
Crumble bun in milk and let soak while mixing ground sirloin, egg, onion and salt.  Add the milk soaked bun and milk.  In small bowl, mix ketchup, mustard and brown sugar.  Put half  of this  in the meat loaf mixture and put in a loaf pan.  Spread the rest over the meat loaf.  Top with bacon and cook at 350 degrees covered for 1 hour.  Uncover and cook 15 minutes.

Cabbage-Apple Salad with Sugared Pecans
1 (16 oz) bag shredded cold slaw
1 Granny Smith Apple cut into small cubes
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
2 T. butter
1/2 c. pecan halves, chopped
4. T. Sugar
2 T. chopped fresh chives
Toss slaw and first 3 ingredients.  Melt butter in a small skillet.  Add chopped pecans, and cook stirring often until toasted.
Sprinkle sugar over pecans, and cook stirring constantly, 1 minute or until sugar dissolves and pecans are coated.  Remove from heat and cool.  Add pecan mixture and chives to slaw mixture and toss.

Potato and Herb Bake
6 T. “I can believe it’s not butter” divided
1/2 t. salt
6 T. finely chopped onion, divided
1/4 t. dried basil leaves
1/4 t. dried thyme leaves
2 -lbs. potatoes, peeled very thinly sliced and divided
1/4 t. ground pepper
Preheat oven to 425.  In a small bowl combine seasonings.  Place 2 t. butter in a 10″ skillet.  If handle is not ovenproof, wrap with foil.  Arrange a third of the potato slices in circular pattern in skillet.  Sprinkle with 1/4 t. of seasonings, 4 T. melted butter and 2 T. onion.
Repeat layers twice.  Cover tightly with foil, press layers down.  Bake 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake additional 20 minutes.  Uncover bake additional 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Remove from oven, press layers down with spatula.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Remove from skillet and invert onto serving platter to un mold.

1-2-3-4-Cake
1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
3 c. self-rising flour
4 eggs
Melt butter in a bowl.  Add 2 c. sugar and mix thoroughly.  Add 4 eggs and beat well.  Add 3 c. self-rising flour gradually.  Pour batter into a greased and lined cake pan.  Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until center springs back when lightly touched.  Ice with you favorite icing or cut up strawberries cover with sugar and let sit for a while and scoop on a slice of cake and finish with a spoonful of Cool Whip on top.  Makes good fast strawberry shortcake.

Lemon Chess Cake
1 stick margarine
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. nuts
1 t. vanilla
1 box lemon pudding cake mix
1 box powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
3 eggs beaten
. Beat 1 egg and add melted margarine then add cake mix.   Pat into a 9×13 pan.  Mix 3 beaten eggs, powdered sugar, softened cream cheese, vanilla and nuts in a bowl.  Pour mixture over top of first layer.  Bake at 325 for 35 minutes.