Feast for your eyes

June starts tomorrow!

Ok folks, we're losing it again. I am the first culprit, since I haven't posted a recipe in quite a long time. But here comes another month, and with it a chance to revive our statistics! So I propose a bit of a challenge. let's make June a photo blog month. Instead of posting the actual recipe, post a photo of your dinner. Heck, even if its a photo of a dinner you ordered at a restaurant, or even if it's one that your child created/invented. Maybe you could even post a pic of a meal you want to make that you found online or in a recipe book somewhere. Post the photo and a few key ingredients, whether they are obvious in the photo or not. Then we, in the comments section will have the opportunity to vote yea or nay as to whether we want the recipe. It can be sort of like a non-competitive contest. With validation as the prize! Sure, it's not the most emotionally healthy way to go, but I'm betting that the recipes won't exactly be healthy either, so why not make sport of it?

On your mark, Get set, POST!

Yummy Marinade and green beans side

This one doesn't belong in this theme, but hey, it's yummy. I meant to post it last month, but didn't get the recipe.

Equal parts:
soy sauce
7-up
vegetable/corn oil

Mix together and pour over meat. (Turkey roast sliced up is really good, as is chicken.)

Let sit in the fridge overnight, or as long as you can. (It is best overnight, but it's okay if you get it marinading in the morning, too.)

Grill.

It's really good served with garlic green beans:

fresh green beans
olive oil
several garlic cloves, minced

Saute green beans in olive oil and garlic. Keep them crisp, though. That's the key to this, is to not cook the green beans into soggy grossness. How much garlic, oil, and beans you need depends on how many you want to eat, and how garlic-y you want it. Hey, and it repels Twilight fans, too.

Hay Stacks

I had never even heard of Hay Stacks before I joined the family. In fact, I thought it sounded really wierd when they were first described to me. However, they proved to be a terrific large-group meal, and very tasty.

I'm not sure there is an absolute ratio for ingredients here - just make enough for the group you are cooking for.

Chicken, cubed and sauted in vegetable oil

Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

Milk (but not so much that it makes it runny)

Combine the above ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through.

Rice - cook per package directions

Bananas, sliced into rounds

Pineapple Chunks

Coconut

Black Olives

Sunflower Seeds

Chopped Tomatos

Chinese Noodles - the crunchy topping kind - is this what they are called?

I'm sure there are more toppings we add - add them to the comments!

To Serve:

Definitely buffet-style. Put a generous scoop of rice on your plate, cover with some chicken gravy, and then add your own toppings. Yummy!

Merle's French Silk

Can't start this one without reminding you (as Dad would) that this was Beehtoven's favorite dessert.

Cream together:
1 cup margarine
1-1/2 cup sugar

Beat in to butter mixture:
2 Squares unsweetened chocolate
2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, 5 minutes between each egg

Pour into 9" pie pan with Graham Cracker crumb crust.
Double recipe to make it in a 13x9 pan, which is how Mom usually does it.

The May Challenge

In Honor of Mother's Day, this is the month we archive all of Mom's (Merle's) recipes. Dig out your books, look at what everyone else has posted, then get to work! Our family's ability to make something out of nothing (and make it taste good) is wholly attributable to Mom. Time to preserve the traditional favorites for posterity...

Chinese Almond Cookies

These date back to 'cultures day' at Shawnee Park Elementary School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The ingredients are mostly a standard sugar cookie, but make sure you have enough almond extract and almonds on hand when you start.

Stir together:
2-3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cut in 1 cup crisco like you would for a pie crust.

Mix seapartely
1 egg
2 tablespoons mild
1 teaspoon almond extract

Add to flour mixture. Mix well.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press a blanched almond half on to each cookie, press down to flatten slightly.

Bake in 325 degree oven, 16 minutes