comfort food

This are a few recipes that all american moms should know by heart. now you may have variations but these are basic.
you Uk folk and others may like them also

Meat loaf

1 pound lean ground beef
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup cracker crumbs( or uncooked oatmeal)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg, beaten

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together gently. Form into a loaf and place in baking dish or loaf pan. Bake coverd at 350° for about 1 hour. Top with more ketchup if desired. Bake additional 15 minutes uncoverd.

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Enchiladas

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 large chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
12 (8 inch) flour tortillas
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
8 ounces shredded Colby cheese
2 (19 ounce) cans enchilada sauce

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a heavy saucepan or skillet, brown the ground beef and onions. Season the ground beef mixture with garlic salt and set aside.
In a skillet, fry the tortillas in vegetable oil. Dip tortillas in enchilada sauce let exess drain off. Spoon some meat mixture and cheese into the center of each tortilla, roll them up and arrange them in a 9x13 inch baking dish or oblong pan. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas and top with any remaining meat or cheese.
Bake in the preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 30 minutes.

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Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef
3 1/2 c. (32 oz.) thick spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 c. water
2 c. (15 oz.) Ricotta cheese
3 c. (15 oz.) shredded Mozzarella
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
8 oz. lasagna, uncooked

Directions

Brown beef in 3-quart saucepan; drain off excess fat. Add sauce and water; simmer about 10 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients, except lasagna, for filling. Pour about 1 cup sauce on bottom of 9x13x2-inch baking pan.
Layer 3 pieces of uncooked lasagna over sauce; cover with about 1 1/2 cups sauce. Spread half of cheese filling over sauce. Repeat layers of lasagna, sauce and cheese filling. Top with layer of lasagna and remaining sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Remove foil; bake about 10 minutes longer. Allow to stand 10 minutes before cutting.
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Swiss steak

1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
2 onions
2 green peppers
1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. water
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar

salt and pepper

Chop onion and green pepper and saute in greased pan. Then spoon out in a bowl and set aside. Mix egg and beef, make beef into 4 pattys.
flour both sides really well! Brown meat on both sides.

Put chopped onion and green pepper mixture on top on each piece of meat and cover well, if you have to chop a little more do it, it will add to flavor.

Then take tomato sauce and add the water, worcestershire sauce and brown sugar stir and pour over meat. Simmer on low heat for a couple hours or until meat is tender enough to cut with fork.

Check frequently, mixture will start to thicken, try to keep it from sticking too much; add more water when necessary.
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chicken parmesan

4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
seasoned bread crumbs
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
8 slices mozzarella cheese, or more
1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese

prepared spaghetti

Preparation:
Whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken breasts in milk and egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in the hot oil on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set chicken in a baking dish.
Slice 8 pieces of mozzarella cheese and put two on each chicken breast. Pour 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little more mozzarella and bake at 350° for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve over spaghetti.

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Chili

Ingredients
1 or 2 teaspoons shortening or vegetable oil
1-1/2 to 2 pounds of good quality lean ground beef or ground sirloin.
1 large white onion, chopped
3 heaping teaspoons good quality chili power.( I use almost 3 tablespoons in mine)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)
1 teaspoon cumin (omit if you don't like cumin)
salt and black pepper to taste
1 large can (about 25-32 oz) Ranch Style Beans
1 large can (about 25-32 oz) pinto beans
1 small can (about 15 oz) kidney beans (drained)
1 bottle good quality beer

Coat the bottom of a big pot (6 quarts or so) with oil or melted shortening. You don't need much, just enough to keep the meat from sticking. Now add the meat and let it cook for a few minutes over medium heat. Don't let it start to stick.
When the meat is starting to cook and is breaking apart, add the chopped onion and stir it into the meat. Now add the powdered ingredients and stir them all in. Stir this a few times while it's cooking.

When the meat is almost done, add the beans. Rinse the cans with a little water to get all of the sauce out of the cans.

At this point add beer. Let this simmer for about 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

After about 20 minutes, taste it! If you think it needs more flavor, add more seasoning, like chili powder. The most common reason I've seen for having a flavorless batch of chili is not enough chili powder. So if it's bland at this point, add some more. DO NOT BE AFRAID!

Let this cook for about an hour and a half, stirring and tasting occasionally.

It can be ready to eat any time after the meat is cooked but gets better after about an hour or so. And it is better still the next day.

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Fried chicken

Ingredients:
1 frying chicken, about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds , cut into serving pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup milk
vegetable shortening for frying
1 tablespoon bacon drippings

Preparation:
Wash chicken and pat dry.
In a heavy brown paper bag or large food storage bag, combine the flour and salt and pepper; shake to blend well. Pour the milk into a wide shallow bowl.

Heat 2 to 3 inches of shortening in a deep heavy skillet over medium heat, or electric fry pan set at 375° F. Add the bacon grease. When a drop of water spatters when it hits the hot oil, dip some of the chicken pieces into the milk then place in the bag and shake to coat evenly. Arrange the chicken pieces in the fat, making sure not to overcrowd. Fry the chicken until outside is golden brown and crisp, about 15 to 20 minutes, turning once to brown both sides. Reduce heat to 350° F and fry until cooked through golden brown, about 15 minutes longer. Turn once. Drain chicken on brown paper or paper towels, adding a little more shortening and bacon grease if necessary, setting or regulating the temperature as for the first batch.

Moms Southern Fried Chicken